Based on our own humanitarian and Islamic responsibility regarding the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), our brothers and sisters in Ashraf City in Iraq, who have been the guests of the people of Iraq and the Arabic nations since more than 20 years ago, and in view of the fact that no human conscience and no brave Arab would be indifferent to the fate of its guests, who especially after their disarmament in 2003 are defenseless in face of danger:
Following reports about transferring the protection of Ashraf from Multi-National Forces led by the US to Iraqi forces, we share the concerns and worries expressed by Amnesty International (statement of August 28), the European Parliament (resolution of September 4), the International Human Rights Federation (statement of September 8), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (resolution of October 2) regarding the serious threats to the lives and security of 3,500 Iranian political refugees, including 1,000 women, in Ashraf City in Iraq as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In view of the June 17 resolution of the Iraqi cabinet which demands from the US the transfer of responsibility to protect Ashraf City and calls for the expulsion of its residents, and in view of the positions taken by various other Iraqi officials who threaten Ashraf residents with trials, expulsion and even “punishment and death”, transferring the protection of Ashraf to Iraqi forces would set the stage for the occurrence of a humanitarian catastrophe.
The representatives of the people of Jordan consider the Multi-National Forces led by the US responsible for protecting the lives of Ashraf residents and stress the imperative of respecting international guarantees based on international rules and treaties, including the principle of non-refoulement (prohibition on expulsion or forced relocation), the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Refugee Convention, International Humanitarian Law, the Convention Against Torture, and international law. In addition, the Jordanian people’s representatives demand the continuing protection of the PMOI in Ashraf City by the US forces as long as these forces remain in Iraq, and stress the imperative of the PMOI’s judicial protection in the context of international law, as well as the removal of restrictions against the PMOI in Ashraf City.