The International Parliamentary Campaign in Defence of Ashraf strongly condemns today’s deplorable terrorist attack on the defenceless residents of Camp Liberty. It is shameful that at a time when the US and British governments and the United Nations are duty bound to protect these civilians a further two
residents have been killed and fifty wounded in today’s missile attack.
Unfortunately this is not the first time this Committee has had to condemn a missile attack on this
group of Iranians who are “protected persons” under the Fourth Geneva Convention. In February of this year we wrote to the UN Secretary General demanding that the residents be protected following a vicious attack in which at least 38 mini-Katyusha rockets and missiles were used to kill 8 residents and wound more than 100.
The International Parliamentary Campaign in Defence of Ashraf has repeatedly warned UNAMI chief Martin Kobler that Camp Liberty does not meet the security needs of the residents. Any assurances that the UNAMI chief now wishes to make will remain hollow and false. He has proven himself incapable of giving the residents the protection they require and the UN is duty bound to provide.
The residents of Camp Liberty must now be immediately returned to Camp Ashraf, their original home for the past 26 years, which is 80 times larger than the Liberty prison camp. Moreover, UNHCR must without delay recognise the status of the residents as refugees and grant them asylum in safe third party countries. Likewise, the British and US governments as allies in the war in Iraq have a duty to condemn this attack, ensure the residents are protected from further attacks and their movement to safe countries takes place without delay.
Rt. Hon. Lord Fraser of Carmyllie QC
President, International Parliamentary Campaign in Defence of Ashraf
Former Lord Advocate for Scotland
15 June 2013
