“Iraq for All” website
March 24, 2009
After listening to an interview with Mr. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie which took place on March 21, 2009 at 22:00, the Association of Independent Iraqi Jurists, which represents 12,000 Iraqi jurists and lawyers, considers as its legal and humanitarian obligation to express the following points about the interview, since our association advocates unconditional human rights in Iraq.
1. It would have been more appropriate for Mr. al-Rubaie to express, without resorting to any formalities or excuses, the real intentions behind the surrounding and expulsion of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from Ashraf, which emanated from a desire to implement the statements made by the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader. The latter considers it Iran’s legal right to continue to meddle in Iraq’s internal affairs. These remarks do not constitute a civilized discourse, as claimed.
2. Regrettably, through these statements, you are giving the Iranian regime a green light that the bombing of Ashraf residents would be accepted in case the PMOI decide to remain in Ashraf and refuse to leave. What kind of protection of Ashraf residents would this be, when their enemy is declared free to bomb them? This is exactly what is being done in northern Iraq on a daily basis, where vulnerable Kurdish villagers are killed or injured or displaced by the regime’s bombing campaigns. There is hardly any reaction to this on the part of officials, because in Mr. al-Rubaie’s view, the Iranian regime has no other option but to bomb defenseless Kurds in the north in order to protect itself.
3. Why does Mr. al-Rubaie continue to insist on the 400 square kilometers when referring to Ashraf’s size? Why does he intentionally distort reality by a thousand times? Tens of thousands of Iraqis have visited Ashraf on various occasions. With such a claim, does Mr. al-Rubaie plan to legitimize the surrounding of the Ashraf building?
4. Mr. al-Rubaie must realize that any form of forced displacement of Ashraf residents inside Iraq would violate fundamental principles of the Geneva Conventions, and consequently would be quite illegal and unacceptable.
5. With the Iranian regime’s influence in Iraq waning, the era of illegal acts is gradually coming to an end in this country. We call on all advocates of human rights and defenders of the law to unite their voices with the Association of Independent Iraqi Jurists in affirming its humanitarian and legal position, and prevent human rights violations in a democratic Iraq.
The Association of Independent Iraqi Jurists
