The Senate deplores the use of force in the Ashraf refugee camp and urges the Iraqi Government to respect human rights

MADRID, 12 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) – The Senate of Spain has unanimously approved a statement on Tuesday expressing “deep concern at reports about the use of force against residents of the Ashraf refugee camp” in Iraq. It said it “deplores the loss of human lives, and “urged the Government of the Arab country to respect human rights.

On April 8, at least 25 Iranian refugees were killed and hundreds wounded in an assault by Iraqi security forces against the camp that houses more than 3,500 exiles in eastern Iraq.

 The statement, read by Senate President Javier Rojo at the start of the plenary session, said the Senate calls on the Iraqi government to allow access to Camp Ashraf  by independent international observers “so that they can get a complete picture of the situation.”

The Senate notes that “the mission of UN assistance in Iraq has been closely monitoring the situation and the EU, together with the UN, has repeatedly and continuously called on the Iraqi government to refrain from using violence and respect the rights human residents of the camp residents.”

For the Upper House, Camp Ashraf raises “complicated challenges with no easy answer,” but “the solution is not to use force. It emphasized that “it is the responsibility of the Iraqi government to respect human rights of those who live there.” Therefore, it urged for “a peaceful and sustainable solution to the situation.”