NCRI – Exiled Iranians and families of Camp Ashraf residents, where members of the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), currently reside, continued their worldwide demonstrations in protest to a siege on the camp by Iraqi forces. Protests in Paris, London, and Washington have entered their sixth straight week.
Demonstrators at Tuesday’s gathering in Paris held across from the Iraqi embassy condemned the surrounding of Ashraf City, which was carried out at the behest of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and demanded the lifting of restrictions against Ashraf City.
NCRI – Exiled Iranians and families of Camp Ashraf residents, where members of the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), currently reside, continued their worldwide demonstrations in protest to a siege on the camp by Iraqi forces. Protests in Paris, London, and Washington have entered their sixth straight week.
Demonstrators at Tuesday’s gathering in Paris held across from the Iraqi embassy condemned the surrounding of Ashraf City, which was carried out at the behest of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and demanded the lifting of restrictions against Ashraf City.
A French participant addressed the rally: “I had the pleasure of visiting Ashraf. We have gathered here to support Ashraf residents. We will continue our protests until the siege on Ashraf is lifted and residents’ rights are acknowledged.”
Yazdan Haj-Hamzeh, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) described Ashraf as a “link between the Iranian nation and freedom-loving people around the world.”
Asghar Adibi, a former Iranian national soccer player and an NCRI member, described as “spectacular” the support voiced by Iran’s younger generation for the Iranian Resistance and the PMOI, as seen on a live television broadcast on the opposition satellite channel, IRANNTV, and added, “The resistance of Ashraf residents has forced the regime to fail miserably.”
Another French participant referred to her visit to Ashraf, and added, “We are saying that Ashraf’s protection must have an international scope and that it should also be the responsibility of the US. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie [Iraq’s National Security Advisor] must stop carrying out Khamenei’s orders against the PMOI and Ashraf. As a supporter of Ashraf residents, I announce that unless we reach our objective, which is acknowledgment of the legal rights of the PMOI, we will carry on with our protests.”
Iranians also held a demonstration across from the Iraqi embassy in London. Expressing support for Ashraf, Ms. Margaret Owen, chair of Widows for Peace through Democracy, said at the gathering that Ashraf has become the symbol of human perseverance against oppression, and is an icon for human rights and freedom in the world. Ashraf residents are symbols of humanity and sense of resolve, she said.
Ms. Owen vehemently criticized the British government and the country’s Foreign Ministry for their inaction in the face of a potential catastrophe waiting to happen in Ashraf. She said the British and American governments, the European Parliament, and the human rights community must not turn a blind eye to this case of injustice and should not allow international rights and articles of the Geneva Conventions to be trampled upon. Addressing the US President, Barack Obama, she said: We call upon you, who came to power with the slogan of change, to take practical steps in relation to Ashraf City.
In Washington, protestors once again gathered in front of the Iraqi embassy, detesting the Iranian regime’s plots as well as those who do its bidding. They chanted slogans and marched on the street, demanding an end to the siege on Ashraf and the restrictions imposed at the demand of the religious fascism ruling Iran. The demonstrators stressed that they will continue their protest until their demands are met.
Also in Washington, freedom-loving Iranians and relatives of Ashraf residents gathered in front of the White House, and called upon the US government to fulfill its humanitarian obligations and ensure the rights of Ashraf residents in the face of plots carried out by the Iranian regime and its agents. They noted that the siege on Ashraf and the restrictions imposed against it violate International Humanitarian Law. They added that this case represents America’s first test in its search for peace and democracy in the Middle East.
