NCRI – British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom in an urgent letter called on Mrs. Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State to intervene in order to prevent a human catastrophe in Camp Ashraf, Iraq.
The Lord Corbett of Castle vale, the committee chair writes: “We were alarmed to hear that, this morning, Iraqi police forces raided Camp Ashraf where 3,400 members of the Iranian opposition are based. This was an unlawful, suppressive and arbitrary act carried out at the behest of Iran, which claims to have an agreement with Iraq to have Ashraf closed and its residents forcibly moved.”
NCRI – British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom in an urgent letter called on Mrs. Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State to intervene in order to prevent a human catastrophe in Camp Ashraf, Iraq.
The Lord Corbett of Castle vale, the committee chair writes: “We were alarmed to hear that, this morning, Iraqi police forces raided Camp Ashraf where 3,400 members of the Iranian opposition are based. This was an unlawful, suppressive and arbitrary act carried out at the behest of Iran, which claims to have an agreement with Iraq to have Ashraf closed and its residents forcibly moved.”
“The Iraqi government is unwilling or unable to honour its international obligations and written assurances given to the US last December about respecting the rights of Ashraf residents.
“Iraq has refused to acknowledge the rights of Ashraf residents, and since February its forces have besieged the camp. The European Parliament on 24 April adopted a resolution urging Iraq to respect the rights of Ashraf residents in the framework of the Geneva Conventions, end the siege of the camp, and refrain from forcibly displacing, deporting, or expelling the residents in violation of the principle of non-refoulement.
“Today's suppressive measure coincides with Iran's dirty campaign to pressure Iraq to act against the residents of Ashraf on the eve of the mullahs' presidential elections. It would seem that to have Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-appointed to the presidency, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is increasing pressure on the opposition to the theocratic regime.
“Iran is trying to bring about a humanitarian catastrophe at Ashraf. US intervention is therefore imperative both to prevent the entry of Iraqi police forces inside Ashraf and to stop this crisis in its tracks. Since Iraq has demonstrated that it neither has the will nor the independence of action to respect the rights of Ashraf residents, the time has come for US forces, under United Nations monitors, to take over responsibility for protecting the residents.”
The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom is comprised of over 50 Members of Parliament and Peers from across the political spectrum. It has the backing of the majority of MPs and more than 200 Peers in its endeavours for human rights and democracy in Iran.
Camp Ashraf, located in north of Baghdad, is home to about 3,400 members of the main Iranian opposition, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
