IMMINENT RISK OF EXECUTION IN IRAN PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY

Document - Iran: Imminent risk of execution in Iran

UA: 102/10 Index: MDE 13/047/2010 Iran Date: 30 April 2010

URGENT ACTION

IMMINENT RISK OF EXECUTION IN IRAN

An Iranian man, Ja’far Kazemi, is at imminent risk of execution for his alleged participation in anti-government demonstrations and for his alleged contact with banned opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). He could be executed at any time.

Ja’far Kazemi,aged 47,was arrested on 18 or 19 September 2009, after mass anti-government protests which took place on 18 September, and was taken to Evin prison in Tehran. He was accused of participating in the protests, which were attended by hundreds of thousands of people, but was not accused of committing any violent acts. He was sentenced to death for "enmity against God", and is also believed to have been convicted of “propaganda against the system”. He was tried with at least one other man, Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei, who is believed to have faced similar charges, but Amnesty International has no information about whether he has been sentenced to death. Ja’far Kazemi is reported to have been interrogated by security forces for months, and was pressured to make a televised “confession”, which he refused to do. On 26 April 2010, he learned that his death sentence had been confirmed by an appeal court. His lawyer, who has had limited access to her client, has requested that the Head of the Judiciary’s office conducts an extraordinary review. The execution can still go ahead at any time unless this request is accepted.

Ja’far Kazemi was previously imprisoned for membership of the PMOI in the 1980s or 1990s. One of his sons is a PMOI member and lives in Camp Ashraf, which houses PMOI members in Iraq. Others under sentence of death in connection with the post-election protests are Amir Reza Arefi, Mohammad Amin Valian, Motahareh (Simin) Bahrami, her husband Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, their son Ahmad Daneshpour and two friends Hadi Gha’emi and Rayhaneh Haj Ebrahim, a woman, and Abdolreza Ghanbari.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Persian, Arabic, English, French or your own language (Please refer to Ja’far Kazemi as "Ja’far Kazemi, son of Bahman" in your appeals, as this will help the authorities to identify him):

    *

      Urging the Iranian authorities not to executeJa’far Kazemi and asking for clarification of Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei’s legal status and whether he is at risk of execution;

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      Urging the authorities to commute all death sentences in Iran, including any imposed in connection with the post-election protests;

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      Reminding the Iranian authorities that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party, states that the death penalty can only be carried out for “the most serious crimes”, which the Human Rights Committee has clarified must be “intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences."


PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 11 JUNE 2010 TO:

Head of the Judiciary

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani

Office of the Head of the Judiciary

Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran, 1316814737

Islamic Republic of Iran

Email: Via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx

First starred box: your given name; second starred box: your family name; third: your email address

Salutation: Your Excellency


Leader of the Islamic Republic

Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei

The Office of the Supreme Leader

Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Email: info_leader@leader.ir

via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)

Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:

Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights

Mohammad Javad Larijani

Howzeh Riassat-e Ghoveh Ghazaiyeh

Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri

Tehran 1316814737

Islamic Republic of Iran

Fax: +98 21 3390 4986

Email: bia.judi@yahoo.com (In subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Source:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/047/2010/en/9b80b1d5-0a06-4eaf-b980-d219adf26db4/mde130472010en.html

Cross-Party MPs call for a suspension of UK ties with Iran regime

Cross-Party MPs and Peers joined large numbers of supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) on Thursday at a rally opposite Downing Street in solidarity with nationwide anti-government protests in Iran and urged the UK government to sever ties with the mullahs' regime.

Participants included Lord Corbett of Castle Vale, Chair of the British Committee for Iran Freedom; Mr Brian Binley, Conservative MP; Lord Cotter, Liberal Democrat spokesman in the House of Lords; Mr David Amess, Conservative MP; Mr Roger Gale MP, former Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party; Lord Maginnis of Drumglass; and Mr Joe Benton, Labour MP.

Labour peer Lord Corbett of Castle Vale told the protestors: "We have witnessed in Iran an historic outcry for change. Today there is a rising demand by millions for democracy and an end to the religious dictatorship in its entirety".

Lord Corbett urged the Foreign Office to abandon dialogue with the mullahs. "The only language that the regime understands is one of firmness."

Roger Gale MP said Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum supported the PMOI's efforts to promote democracy in Iran.

Lord Maginnis vowed to raise the issue of the regime's human rights violations in Parliament, describing the UK government's lack of action as "unacceptable".

The mullahs' interior minister warned opposition activists on Tuesday they risk execution as enemies of God if they continue anti-government demonstrations. "After Ashura, anyone who takes part in riots will be considered as 'mohareb' (waging war on God) and an opponent of national security," Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said (official IRNA news agency).

Addressing the government, Brian Binley MP said: "Continuing to take a blinkered view of the negative role played by Tehran in the vain hope that appeasement will bring about change is not only naive, but extremely dangerous".

"If the British government seriously wishes to find a solution to the Iran problem, they need look no further than the streets of Tehran and the Iranian people's determination to purse democratic ambitions", he said.

Joe Benton MP said: "The UK government must adopt a firm policy towards Tehran over its support for terrorism as well as its brutal crackdown on the Iranian people. Such a policy must include targeted sanctions as well the cutting off of all economic ties with the regime. However, this must be coupled with support for the Iranian people's democratic opposition movement"

David Amess MP said: "This option of democratic change by the Iranian people has long been advocated by the National Council of Resistance of Iran and its president-elect Mrs Maryam Rajavi. The people of Iran have now put this option well and truly on the map for dealing with the threat posed by the current Iranian regime".

Lord Cotter said: "For 30 years the regime has ruled with an iron fist. Suppression and torture have been the order of the day of this regime, not least in recent protests. But millions of brave Iranians are refusing to back down in their demand for freedom. For the first time we can see that the regime's 30-year brutal rule is coming to an end".

The Iranian Resistance supporters in London urged the UK to impose comprehensive sanctions on the regime and expel its embassy staff as well as to announce its support for democratic change by the Iranian people and Resistance.

British MPs and Dignitaries join London Rally for change in Iran

During popular uprisings last week in the holy month of Ashura in Iran people took to streets in form of peaceful rallies and demonstrations to express their desire for change.

All reports, photographs, and video clips transmitted clearly shows we are at a point of no return for change. People are determined to continue at whatever the cost for FREEDOM.

In return, desperate mullahs have retaliated with violent raids beaten, killed and have arrested several people who are in danger of torture and execution to scare millions to give up resistance. 

Witnesses described some of the repressive forces, confronted with people’s determination to resist, have defied their commanders and changed sides on the scene joining protestors where they received cheering welcome by the people.

Security Force joins people

The size of the demonstrations, and the death of a number of protesters, has dramatically changed the nature and the intensity of the confrontation.

We, who are blessed with peace and liberty, feel that we must raise our voice in support of people who are struggling for freedom.

In solidarity with those brave men and women in Iran, several members of the British Parliament will join us for a rally in front British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Thursday 7 January at: 11:00 am to urge our government to stand by the people of Iran and demand the mullahs’ regime to release innocent people whose lives are in danger.

I would like to ask you to join us

Day:   Thursday 07 January 2010
Time: 11:30 – 13:30
Place: Opposite British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Address: King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH
Closest Tube Station: Westminster

Please tell other friends and ask them to join.

Rally to protect Ashraf.

Rally and Press conference in London to prevent another attack on Ashraf - December 15 at 11:30 am - Whitehall opposite Downing Street

On Tuesday, 15 December 2009, simultaneous with a threat by Iraq to forcibly displace Iranian Resistance members from Camp Ashraf, MPs, legal experts and human rights activists will hold a press conference opposite Downing Street in London to press for urgent intervention by the British government.

As Iranians escalate their anti-government protests, the regime has heightened its pressure on Iraq to conspire against residents of Camp Ashraf.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to forcibly displace Ashraf residents to southern Iraq this Tuesday, an act which would violate their rights "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention and breach the "principle of non-refoulement".

Iranian relatives of the residents in London have held a rally outside Downing Street since Friday and will continue to rally there from 11.30 to 13.30 every day. They fear that an attempt by Iraq to forcibly displace their relatives will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe far larger than the deadly attack on Ashraf in July.

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale, who chairs the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom, will be speaking at the press conference. other speakers TBD.

Press conference/ Rally details:

Date: Tuesday, 15 December 2009,
Time: 11.30 - 12:30 am
Place: Whitehall, opposite Downing Street, London SW1A

Background information: Click Here

Top UN envoy concerned over conditions in Iraqi camp

UN News Centre - The top United Nations envoy to Iraq has expressed his concerns over the humanitarian situation in a camp north of Baghdad, housing thousands of Iranian dissidents.

Some 3,400 members of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq, live in Camp Ashraf in Iraq’s Diyala province.

During talks with diplomats the Iraqi capital, Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, confirmed the commitment of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) to monitor the situation in the camp on a daily basis.

Earlier this month, UN human rights officials welcomed the Government’s decision to release 36 members of the PMOI who had been detained since July when security personnel used force to take control of the camp where they had been staying.

In a two-day operation in late July, Iraqi security personnel took control of Camp Ashraf. Eleven people were killed and dozens more were wounded in that operation.

In recent years, both the mission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have been exploring how to reach a resolution consistent with Iraq’s legitimate sovereignty and international law.

“The UN continues to advocate that Camp Ashraf residents be protected from forcible deportation, expulsion or repatriation contrary to the non-refoulement principle,” according to a UNAMI press release issued today.

At the same time, the camp’s leaders have also been urged to cooperate with Iraqi authorities regarding the future of the site’s residents, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies are ready to provide the necessary legal and social counseling.

“Efforts are now needed on all sides to reduce tensions and look for solutions,” UNAMI stressed. “The UN calls on the international community to provide all possible assistance in this regard, including resettlement to third countries of those that want to leave the camp.”
Source:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32710&Cr=&Cr1=#

Account of attack in Iraq

By Jamshid Karegarfar
ASHRAF, Iraq.

How long can one live without food and water? It's a question that I never considered until it became more than an answer on a TV quiz program. It was a very personal matter of life and death.

Two-and-a-half months ago, I was living the day-to-day peaceful life of a resident of Camp Ashraf in Iraq. It's a place you probably never heard of. It's about 60 miles north of Baghdad and is home to some 3,500 Iranian dissidents - exiles like me who want nothing better than to return to Iran when it is free of the mullahs who oppress the people, preach hatred and export terrorism.

After I left Iran in search of freedom, I lived in California, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee for some time. Then, 20 years ago, I became a resident of Ashraf, along with others who support the People's Mojaheedin of Iran (PMOI), the principal Iranian opposition movement and dream of returning home one day.

Since the American-led invasion of Iraq, we lived - unarmed and in peace - under the protection of U.S. forces and the Geneva Conventions. But since the United States agreed to withdraw its forces from Iraq, we've been at the mercy of Baghdad, which is more and more becoming good buddies with Tehran.

The situation came to a head July 28, when some 2,000 Iraqi forces stormed Ashraf, and to add insult to injury, used American Humvees and weapons to do so, while the Americans stood by and watched. The attack left 11 dead and 500 injured - and the Iraqis took 36 Ashraf residents as hostages. I was one of them.

At first, we were held outside Ashraf. During the first days of captivity we were severely beaten, and went through physical and psychological torture. Some of us who were run over by Humvees and hit by bullets were in excruciating pain.

Then, we were transferred to the local prison in the city of Khalis. From there, they took us to an Iraqi military intelligence detention center and finally to the prison at al-Muthana airfield.The goal was to break us down. But we refused to give in.

In protestof the raid and being taken hostage, we went to a hunger strike and refused food for weeks, and we prayed for deliverance. We had no idea what was happening or why we were being held. And we had no idea of the support we were getting around the world.

It was only after our release that we learned of hunger strikes outside the White House and the U.S. Embassy in London, at Ashraf and other places in Europe - all in support of our cause and of justice.

Our release was ordered three times by the court in Khalis, our initial stop. Iraq's prosecutor general sent out the order for our immediate release to all the police stations throughout Iraq. Yet, the Iraqi police and the government refused to implement the order due to pressures and demands from Tehran.

Finally, after 65 days, and with hope almost gone as we were transferred to Baghdad we decided to refuse not only food, but water as well.

As the days went by - one, then two, then three - hope faded even more. But we were adamant. Some of my friends went into comas, and were taken away by Iraqi guards. We found out later that they were taken to a hospital. And then, on the 72nd day of our hunger strike - and the seventh day of dry hunger strike as we were struggling between life and death - our prayers were answered.

We were freed. We were taken to Ashraf medical center. The doctors told me that several of us probably were only hours from death.

How we survived, I'll never know. It had to be God's will - that we should live to tell our story, so that incidents like this should never happen again.

We also learned of the worldwide support we received from organizations like Amnesty International, the International Federation of Human Rights, the World Organization Against Torture, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, and countless parliamentarians, international figures, and committees around the globe.We might have owed our lives to their efforts.

But that doesn't mean Tehran will stop trying to wipe out Ashraf and its opponents anywhere it can reach them. That's why the world community must act.

To prevent a repetition of what happened to me and other Ashraf residents, the U.S. government, the United Nations, and the European Union must step in.

The U.S. government, which signed an agreement with every single Ashraf resident, must guarantee secure protection of Ashraf residents at least until the end of 2011, while U.S. forces are present in Iraq.

The United Nations should deploy a permanent monitoring team in Ashraf to prevent further violence and a repeat of the attack or forced displacement of these people. And the fundamental rights and protections of Ashraf residents under the Fourth Geneva Convention must be recognized as stipulated in the European Parliament resolution adopted last April.

This would be a fitting time for President Obama to fulfill the Nobel Peace Prize committee's faith in him by using his "bully pulpit" in the cause of peace and security for the peaceful resident of Ashraf.

I don't want anyone else to find out firsthand how long one can go without water and live.

Jamshid Karegarfar is an manufacturing technology engineer, with expertise in safety. He was educated at Kentucky's Murray State University and became a resident of Camp Ashraf in Iraq 20 years ago.

Source:
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/25/account-of-attack-in-iraq/

Iraq: The unthinkable happened on July 28th

By Mostafa Sanaie
Ashraf, Iraq

On October 7, as the sun came up and I sat in my little prison cell in a suburb of Baghdad, I realized this could be the last sunrise I would see.

I always loved the sun. It is particularly gorgeous this time of year in Baghdad. But I was too frail to stand up to see it. I could have asked for help as I was surrounded by 35 friends. But none of them was in a position to help.

It was the 72nd day of our hunger strike, the last seven a dry hunger strike, meaning that for the past seven days we had refused to even take water. There was a deafening silence in the room. Each minute I and my friends knew our lives were ebbing.

Though I was in an Iraqi jail, I am not Iraqi. I am Iranian who has lived in Iraq for the past 23 years. All 36 of us are Iranian dissidents. all 3,400 of us live in a place called Camp Ashraf, a self-sustained community about 60 miles north of Baghdad. It was built by my relatives and friends, all members of the opposition People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI).

Residents of Ashraf lived in peace side-by-side with their Iraqi neighbors until the 2003 invasion by the U.S. and its Coalition allies. Then, we handed over our arms to the U.S. voluntarily and signed agreements with the U.S. to remain where we were as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

We were content to remain in Ashraf, live our lives in peace and strive to achieve our goals. But, when the U.S. signed an agreement with the Malaki government in Baghdad to withdraw its forces over the next two years, the rulers in Tehran saw an opportunity to try to remove a thorn (the PMOI) from its side.

Given the tumultuous state of affairs in Iran after the rigged elections, it was more imperative for the clerical regime to destroy its arch enemies. The mullahs prevailed on their friends within the Iraqi government to move on defenseless and civilian Ashraf residents.

The unthinkable happened on July 28: Iraqi forces, trained by the U.S. and using American grenades and humvees, raided Ashraf and started using fire arms three hours after the raid. Eleven people were killed, 500 wounded, and 36 - my friends and I - were taken away.

We were severely beaten. We were severely wounded as the result of the beatings and being run over by Iraqi humvees, with some suffering broken limbs. We all staged a hunger strike to protest our illegal arrest and the physical and psychological torture during detention. Our journey to an unknown future began.

After days in a makeshift cell outside Ashraf, we were taken to a prison in the city of Khalis. The judge, after reviewing all the evidence, issued three consecutive verdicts for our immediate release. But the Iraqi government ignored them.

Instead of being released, on October 1, we were beaten in our cells and taken ultimately to al-Muthana Prison in a Baghdad suburb. That's when we decided not to take in water, even though we knew we were fighting the clock.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International, the International Federation of Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture, Human Rights Watch, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, and hundreds of parliamentarians, Members of U.S. Congress and international figures, emarked a campaign for our release.

On that sunny morning, as my life ebbed, my mind was on all the years that had gone by. One thought kept coming back: My ultimate dream of a free and democratic Iran; this was the goal that first had taken me to Ashraf as a young man and had given me the impetus throughout this saga.

I had lost the sense of time when the door to our cell was opened. I saw more troops. What did they want on our last day? What is left to be said? They knew we would not cave in to their demands.

But they said we were released and were going back to Ashraf. Our hunger strike and the international pressures compelled Iraqis to release us. We arrived there, on the verge of death, and were taken immediately to receive urgent medical care.

Now, I am hardly back on my feet and can enjoy the beautiful sun again - and I have a story to tell. But why should anyone listen?

The reason is simple: what happened to us can happen to others unless something is done to protect the defenseless residents of Ashraf. The mullahs want them eliminated, and regrettably they have the ear of Baghdad now that the U.S. is leaving.

It is essential that a permanent UN monitoring team be deployed in Ashraf to prevent further attacks and our forced displacement as well as to ensure the safeguarding of our fundamental rights and protections under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Also, the U.S. government must keep its agreement with the people of Ashraf that U.S. forces will protect them at least until the end of 2011, when the American withdrawal is completed.

And the world must watch what happens because it will be an indicator of which way Iraq is going - further into Tehran's camp or into a new future as a true democracy in the Middle East.

Mostafa Sanaie is a flight engineer. He studied in Northrop University, California. He is an expert in flight engineering of Boeing 727. He has been living in Ashraf, Iraq for the past 20 years. 


Source:
http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/7304/1/

Specter of forced repatriation

Allan Gerson

Death no longer stalks the White House gates. The hunger strike of more than two dozen Iranian-Americans (as part of a vigil of hundreds of concerned people) came to a close Thursday with the news that 36 Iranian dissidents forcibly taken by Iraqi forces had been allowed to return - most in emaciated condition - to their enclave at Camp Ashraf, 60 miles north of Baghdad.

For more than 70 days, the hunger strike and vigil continued with the demand for the release of the hostages and protection for the 3,400 members of Iran's main opposition group, the mujahedeen (MEK), stationed at Camp Ashraf.

But it would be a mistake of enormous proportions to believe that the problem of Camp Ashraf and the specter of forced repatriation of its members to Iran or forced displacement inside Iraq (where the dissidents would be exposed to terrorist attacks by Tehran's operatives) are no longer a matter of grave humanitarian and national security concern. We should not be lulled into a false sense of safety that the problem has gone away.

At stake are the lives thousands of MEK members who are dedicated to the overthrow of Iran's mullah regime and its replacement by a democratic pluralistic government.

On July 28 and 29, Iraqi forces - undoubtedly heeding the call of Iran, which wants nothing as much as the eradication of the camp and the repatriation of its residents to Iran - forcibly entered the enclave. The operation against the unarmed and defenseless residents left 11 dead, hundreds wounded and 36 arrested.

The State Department maintains that sovereignty over all of Iraq, including Camp Ashraf, belongs to the government of Iraq and brushes off serious concern by pointing out that in any event, the MEK remains on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

But Iraqi sovereignty does not entitle neglect of the U.S. promise to protect the residents of Camp Ashraf. This concerns a solemn pledge made by U.S. forces early in 2004, when they entered the enclave and signed written agreements stipulating that the residents would be granted protected-persons status under the Geneva Conventions until their final disposition.

The MEK terrorist designation, as concerns Americans, revolves around its purported role in the death of six American service members and military contractors 35 years ago.

As corroborated by former Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk, the designation in 1997 came about largely as a result of President Clinton's efforts to induce Iran's then-president, Mohammed Khatami, to adopt a more moderate posture. (It didn't work.)

In this context, it appeared on an internal State Department determination, which held that terrorism against our foes (even if directed against judges issuing death sentences without recourse to legal process) should be of as much concern to the United States as terrorism directed against American citizens.

The highest court in the United Kingdom recently overturned the terrorist designation in Britain as totally without merit. A similar conclusion was reached by the European Union. Interestingly enough, when the MEK filed a petition for revocation of its designation in July 2008, the State Department's top counterterrorism official, Gen. Dell L. Dailey, recommended that the petition be granted.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, overruled him - ostensibly because of the department's zeal not to allow anything to undercut its efforts to negotiate directly with Tehran.

Having been involved as an attorney for the PanAm 103 families in their quest to hold Libya accountable for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, I had dealt with the conditions for removal of Libya from the State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Clear criteria for designation of an organization as a terrorist entity, and its corollary - clear criteria for de-designation - are essential if we are to remain a country of laws rather than one where diplomatic whim controls despite severe legal consequences. Yet, in dealing with MEK designation, the State Department refuses to specify applicable criteria. Such a posture degrades the terrorist designation to a mere political tool.

Clearly, neither Iraqi sovereignty nor the unwarranted U.S. terrorist designation can justify turning a blind eye to the fate of 3,400 people at Camp Ashraf who have dedicated their lives to ending the mullah regime in Tehran.

This is not only a matter of grave humanitarian concern, but also one that bears serious implications for U.S. national security interests. What lesson, after all, would Iran draw if we were to allow repatriation of the residents of Camp Ashraf?

What lesson would the world draw if it witnessed the U.S. government's inability to curry any influence with Iraq, a country in which we have invested so much of our resources and human treasure?

What is to be done? I recommend that two steps be taken immediately:

1.) President Obama or a high-level envoy needs to forcefully tell Iraq's leadership that the U.S. government will not countenance repatriation of the residents of Camp Ashraf or their forcible displacement within Iraq. The only safe place for them is Ashraf. Muted State Department assurances cannot suffice. In any event, no European or other nation seems prepared to welcome the residents of Camp Ashraf to its own shores.

2.) The U.N. secretary-general needs to express the United Nation's concern and work to set up a monitoring post at Ashraf to ensure that they are protected.

These steps are in America's interest. It cannot afford to ignore the potential for atrocities against the residents of Camp Ashraf. To abandon the MEK in their hour of need, especially when they are staunch opponents of the regime in Tehran, would only serve to encourage Iran to pursue its militaristic policies at home and abroad and to dispel the trust of America's allies.

Source:
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/13/specter-of-forced-repatriation/

IRAQ: All 36 Camp Ashraf residents released but OMCT remains concerned about the situation in Camp Ashraf

Geneva, 12 October 2009. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcomes the release of the 36 Camp Ashraf residents, who were arrested and allegedly tortured and ill-treated during their detention following the raid by the Iraqi security forces on the Camp on 28 July 2009. However, OMCT repeats its call upon the United States (US) authorities and the United Nations (UN) to take effective measures to protect all Camp Ashraf residents.

On 7 October 2009, the 36 residents were released and returned to Camp Ashraf. Several of them were immediately hospitalised upon their arrival at the camp due to their poor health conditions. They were allegedly tortured and ill-treated during their detention and had been on a hunger strike to protest their arrest. According to the same information received, the 36 persons had been first held at a police station, some 25km from the Camp, and then moved to a military airbase in Baghdad, in flagrant violation of a judicial order by the investigative judge in the town of al-Khalis to release them.

OMCT recalls that about 3,500 members of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group that left Iran for political reasons in order to escape persecution and to organise resistance against the Iranian regime, are living in Camp Ashraf, since 1986. In April 2009, the Iraqi security forces surrounded the Camp following several statements by both Iranian and Iraqi officials that the PMOI should be expelled from Iraq and the Camp closed, although their members have been designated as “protected persons” under Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the guarantees of which were clearly stipulated in various Protocols signed by the US forces. On 28 July 2009, the Iraqi security forces entered Camp Ashraf with bulldozers, and used grenades, teargas, water canons and pepper spray against Ashraf residents. At least eight people were killed and several persons injured during the raid.

In light of these events, OMCT reiterates its previous calls:

to the Iraqi authorities:

    * not to forcibly return any Camp Ashraf resident to Iran where he or she would be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment;

to the United States (US) authorities:

    * to ensure the effective protection of Camp Ashraf with the immediate transfer of the responsibility for its protection to the US forces, pending the establishment of an international force;

to the United Nations (UN):

    * to send a representative to collect information on the situation in Camp Ashraf in order to inform thereon the relevant UN human rights bodies, including the Human Rights Council, and, if necessary, to immediately urge the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to set up a permanent presence in the Camp for purposes of monitoring and protecting the situation;
    * to decide to promptly carry out an international investigation into the alleged human rights violations that took place during and following the raid carried out by Iraqi security forces on the Camp on 28 July.

Contact:
Eric Sottas, Secretary General: + 41 22 809 49 39 / Email: omct@omct.org

Source:
http://www.omct.org/index.php?id=&lang=eng&actualPageNumber=1&articleId=8847&itemAdmin=article

OMCT-Related Statements/Urgent Appeals - English
Call for the immediate release of the 36 residents of Camp Ashraf

Fear for the safety of 36 Camp Ashraf residents who are currently detained by the Iraqi security forces

Iran’s heavy hand on human rights

By Gary Morsch

AS US officials grapple with Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons, they also need to address its human rights abuses against its own people as well as the regime’s meddling in Iraqi affairs.

Soldiers don’t concern themselves with politics; we leave that to the politicians. There are times, though, when a soldier makes an exception. Like all American troops who have been deployed to Iraq, I went to serve my country and to help bring peace and democracy to the Middle East. I’m a doctor from Kansas and a colonel in the Army Reserve, and I served for a year in Ashraf, about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

Of all the places I’ve been in Iraq, Ashraf was probably the most peaceful. It was established 23 years ago by a group of Iranian dissidents, all members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, who want to see democracy return to their homeland. They fled Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution because they opposed the theocratic state that had been established. Thousands of their friends had been slaughtered by the ruling ayatollahs’ henchmen.

In the middle of the desert, they turned a dry wasteland into an oasis. They built schools and hospitals, shopping areas, and places for sports and recreation and concerts. Even Iranian students who had gone to America to further their education returned to Ashraf.

And the Iraqi people befriended them.

After the US-led invasion in 2003, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran turned over their weapons to coalition forces and submitted to months of investigation - to prove that they were not terrorists and only wanted to live in peace.

The more I saw, the more I began to like the people of Ashraf. They are committed to the goals of democracy and a free Iran. Indeed, I learned that it was the People’s Mujahedin that first divulged the nuclear buildup within Iran, alerting the world to the danger the mullahs in Tehran posed.

Ashraf has been protected by an agreement with the United States under the Fourth Geneva Convention. But the pending withdrawal of US troops has left the area in a kind of no-man’s land.

Iraqi forces now control their own country, which is fine for most situations. But the Iraqi leadership is growing closer to Tehran, which wants Ashraf closed and its people sent back to Iran - to an ill fate one can only imagine.

On July 28, Iraqi police and military forces stormed Ashraf at the behest of Tehran. Eleven residents were killed, 500 wounded, and 36 were held hostage for 71 days.

And where were the American protectors? From the video clips I watched, they stood by and observed, doing little to stop the carnage.

The Obama administration criticized Iraqi security forces and their brutal attitude, but this is not enough. Iraqi forces still occupy parts of Ashraf. The lives of 3,400 people who trusted the United States are on the line. Knowing of their need for medical care, I have volunteered to go and provide medical assistance to the wounded in Ashraf.

I am sad for the people of Ashraf and angered by the American inaction. It was an embarrassing moment for me as a doctor, a soldier, a humanitarian, and above all as an American.

The nation I serve made a commitment to protect these people. While I was there, I carried out that mission. The Obama administration must find a way to honor that commitment, especially now. It is obvious that the winds of change are blowing across Iran. The fundamentalist mullahs in Tehran know that they are in trouble with their own people. The president needs to act now.

Dr. Gary Morsch is an Army Reserve colonel. 
Source:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/10/10/irans_heavy_hand_on_human_rights/

36 Ashraf Hostages were released

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”

Free At last, after 72 days, the 36 Ashraf residents, who had been abducted, were released and safely returned to Camp Ashraf.

Many of the hostages, who were on a hunger strike, are seriously ill but in a very high spirit. They were immediately taken to Ashraf medical center for treatment.

Mrs. Rajavi, Iranian opposition leader, who had repeatedly asked the hunger strikers to break their fast, sent a video message via satellite television to express her joy and commended their decision to end their hunger strike. President-elect of the Iranian resistance thanked Iranian compatriots, Iraqi officials and tribal leaders, members of parliaments and jurists, international human rights organisations across the globe for their relentless efforts to release the 36 hostages.

Also in London, hunger strikers ended their 72-day fast celebrating this victory.

Twelve  people in UK and hundreds more in 21 countries started to fast which continued for more than ten weeks in solidarity with abducted Ashraf residents in an attempt to convince international authorities to help with release of the 36 fellow Iranians taken hostage in a violent raid on Ashraf in July.

Upon hearing the news of the hostages’ release, everyone was crying, dancing, singing in the street in Grosvenor square in front of the US Embassy.
Video Clip
Celebrations continued late into the night. It was a truly wonderful end to a long rally for humanity, justice and love.

Huge international pressure, prompted by hunger strikers, helped bring about their release.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the vice president of the European Parliament, Dr Alejo Vidal-Quadras, and the former Prime Minister of Algeria, Sid Ahmed Ghozali, and thousands of parliamentarians, jurists, human rights icons, dignitaries and personalities across the world condemned the Iraqi regime for failing to release the refugees, despite three separate rulings by Iraqi judges.

Amnesty International joined the chorus of voices denouncing the actions of Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki with another Urgent Action appeal which was its 12th statement since the ordeal started.

The hunger strikers chanting: "This is a huge victory for the people of Iran, for democracy, for humanity”.

However, the return of the hostages is just one of the hunger strikers' demands. They vowed to resume their fast if UN and US forces did not agree to monitor the camp and provide security from Iraqi forces.

Time to Celebrate

Please come to celebrate this great victory with us and with the brave men and women of camp Ashraf who have peacefully withstood this aggression using their tolerance and their bodies to shield their rights.

We are holding a vigil at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday 10 October, in front of the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square.

Event includes; Music, videos, presentation and speeches by dignitaries and humanitarian personalities and the latest update on the situation at the camp. Refreshments will be available.

Date: Saturday 10 October, 2009
Time: 17:30
Place: Grosvenor Square, Opposite the US Embassy
Closest tube station: Bond Street - Central Line

Please attend and bring your friends along to share the joy of a successful grass root humanitarian act.

PS. This event is FREE TO ATEND

UN human rights office welcomes release of Iranian detainees in Iraq

United Nations human rights officials today welcomed the Iraqi Government’s decision to release 36 members of an Iranian dissident group who had been detained since July when security personnel used force to take control of the camp where they had been staying.

Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told journalists in Geneva that the world body was grateful that the Government had responded to a request from High Commissioner Navi Pillay to release the detainees.

The 36 people are part of around 3,400 members of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq, who have been living in Camp Ashraf in Iraq’s Diyala province.

In a two-day operation in late July, Iraqi security personnel took control of Camp Ashraf. Eleven people were killed and dozens more were wounded in that operation, Mr. Colville said.

“All detainees in Iraq, including members of PMOI, are entitled to proper judicial procedures and – if there is evidence they may have committed a crime – a fair trial,” he said. “They should be granted all the rights guaranteed to them under international and domestic laws.

“The Iraqi court at al-Khalis, where the detainees were first held, twice ordered their release because of a lack of credible evidence, but for reasons which remain unclear they continued to be held in detention for a total of some two and a half months.”

Mr. Colville stressed that OHCHR considers it “a matter of paramount importance that a long-term solution be found for the residents of Camp Ashraf, inside Iraq or elsewhere. We recognize that the past history of several members of this group is a complicating factor. But the status quo is not tenable.

“In the meantime, the fundamental rights of the camp’s occupants should be respected, including the right not to be forcibly returned to their home country so long as there is a risk of torture.”

Mr. Colville said OHCHR and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) would continue to monitor the situation in Camp Ashraf.

Source:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32484&Cr=iraq&Cr1=#

Camp Ashraf groups vow to fight on

By Sebastian Usher
BBC News

Supporters of the residents of a camp for Iranian dissidents in Iraq say they will continue their international protests demanding the US and the UN give them protection.

On Wednesday, dozens of supporters around the world ended a 72-day hunger strike after one of their main demands was met - the release of 36 Camp Ashraf inmates detained by the Iraqi authorities for the past two-and-a-half months.

They were seized during a raid on 28 and 29 July.

Video filmed by people in Camp Ashraf appears to show Iraqi police and soldiers shooting and beating camp residents.

Up to 11 are reported to have been killed and hundreds wounded.

Camp Ashraf was handed over to Iraqi government control at the start of 2009 by the Americans. US forces had taken control of the camp after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It had long been one of the main bases of the Iranian dissident group, the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI).


Health problems

Camp Ashraf is now home to more than 3,000 people. The Americans provided protection for them against outside threats from Iran and Iraq.

After the seizure of the 36 camp residents in July, an international campaign was mounted to to put pressure on Iraq to release them.

Hunger strikes were held in several major cities around the world to publicise the case. In London, 12 relatives and friends of people in the camp kept up their hunger strike outside the US embassy for 72 days.

Now the detainees have been released, they've ended their hunger strike, which consisted of taking only tea and sugar to keep them alive.

Their spokeswoman Laila Jayazeri says they now have serious health problems - and are under observation in hospital.

Ms Jayazeri says their action played a vital role in securing the detainees' freedom.

But she says the protests will continue, to demand that US forces resume control of the camp, that the UN supplies a monitoring team there - and that none of the inmates are sent to Iran.

Repatriation fear

Camp Ashraf presents the US with a difficult dilemma.

Its handover of control in January was part of its phased withdrawal from Iraq.

The Iraqi government gave assurances that the inmates would be treated humanely and not forcibly returned to Iran. The raid in July put this in question.

Camp residents say the Shia-led Iraqi government - which has close political ties with Tehran - is receptive to Iranian pressure to expel them. They fear that if they are repatriated, they could face torture, imprisonment or execution.

If the US allowed this to happen, it would not fit well with Washington's professed support for opposition activists in Iran.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that the PMOI is still designated a terrorist organisation in the US - a label the European Union lifted earlier this year.


(...Excerpts)
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8297457.stm

Hunger strikers end fast, claiming 'huge victory for humanity'

A GROUP of ailing hunger strikers ended their 72-day fast today after achieving a "huge victory for humanity".

A dozen fasters from across Barnet have refused food for more than ten weeks in an attempt to convince international forces to help 36 fellow Iranians taken hostage from an Iraqi refugee camp in July.

Today the refugees were safely returned to Camp Ashraf from a military base in Baghdad, where they were being held by the Iraqi Government.

Many of the hostages, who were also on a hunger strike, are seriously ill and have been taken to Ashraf medical center for treatment.

Zohreh Zanjani, 47, from Mill Hill East, has been sleeping in a makeshift shelter with fellow protesters outside the US Embassy, in Grosvenor Square, since the fast began. She voiced delight at the men's release.

She said: "It feels like we have been born again. Everyone in Iran and everyone here is extremely happy.

"This is the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime. People know change is on the way.

"Everyone here is crying, dancing, singing. Celebrations will continue late into the night. It is a truly wonderful moment.

"We know we will have health problems later, but that is nothing compared to what we have achieved."

The 36 hostages were all members of the Iranian opposition group, the People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI), who have resided at the camp since the 1980s to escape prosecution in Iran.

Huge international pressure, prompted by the Barnet hunger strikers, helped bring about their release.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the vice president of the European Parliament, Dr Alejo Vidal-Quadras, and the former Prime Minister of Algeria, Sid Ahmed Ghozali, all condemned the Iraqi regime for failing to release the refugees, despite three separate rulings by Iraqi judges.

Yesterday Amnesty International joined the chorus of voices denouncing the actions of Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Al-Maliki.

The hunger strikers' spokesman, Saeed Abed, 54, from Watford Way, Hendon, said: "This is a huge victory for the people of Iran, for democracy, for humanity.

"It is a great achievement, and I am very pleased for the hunger strikers. They very bravely stood by and did not bow down to the demands of the Iranian regime, who wanted to destroy them.

According to the PMOI, all the hostages were beaten and wounded, and seven of them were unconscious, at the time of their abduction.

They were reportedly imprisoned for several days in "appalling" conditions outside Ashraf, before being moved to a jail near Baghdad.

They were held on the grounds of illegal entry into Iraq more than 23 years ago, when Camp Ashraf was first established.

However, the return of the hostages is just one of the hunger strikers' demands. They vowed to resume their fast if UN and US forces did not agree to monitor the camp and provide security from Iraqi forces.

Mr Abed said: "The hunger strikers have only stopped on the condition the protection of Camp Ashraf is guaranteed, otherwise we will be in the same situation again."

Source:
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4669338.Hunger_strikers_end_fast__claiming__huge_victory_for_humanity_/?ref=mr

Camp ASHRAF Iraq: Detainees held incommunicado risk torture

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Further information on UA: 212/09 Index: MDE 14/032/2009 Iraq Date: 06 October 2009

URGENT ACTION

Detainees held incommunicado risk torture

Thirty-six Iranian men who were arrested from Camp Ashraf in July, have been transferred from a police station to a military airbase in Baghdad. Fears for their safety remain as they are now detained incommunicado and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. By continuing to detain them the Iraqi authorities are contravening a judicial order calling for their release.

On 1 October, 36 Iranian detainees were transferred from a police station in the town of al-Khalis, in Diyala province, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, to the Muthanna military airbase in Baghdad where they are being held incommunicado. The detainees werearrested on 28-29 July 2009, when Iraqi security forces used force to take control of Camp Ashraf, in Diyala province, where 3,400 members of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group,have resided since the mid-1980s. The detaineesare in poor health and have been on hunger strike since their arrest.

The transfer of the detainees from al-Khalis to Baghdad took place despite an investigative judgein al-Khalis ruling on three separate occasionsthat theyhad no charges to answer and orderedtheir release. The police at al-Khalis, however, refused to release them without providing any legal justification for their continuing detention. They were eventually transferred using force by the Iraqi military.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Arabic or your own language:
    *      Urge the authorities to release the 36 Iranian detainees following repeated rulings from the investigative judge that they have no charges to answer;
    *      demand that the authorities protect the detainees from torture or other ill-treatment while they remain held incommunicado and ensure they are provided with any medical treatment they may require;
    *      calling on the authorities not to forcibly return to Iran these 36 or any other Camp Ashraf residents who would be at risk of torture and other serious human rights violations there.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BY 17 NOVEMBER 2009; via the e-mail addresses below, when available, as well as via the Iraqi embassy or diplomatic representative in your country, asking them to forward your appeals to

Prime Minister, Nuri Kamil al-Maliki
Email: admin@cabinet.iq
Salutation: Your Excellency

Minister of Defence, General ‘Abdul Qadir Jasim al-‘Ubaidi
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:

Minister of Human Rights, Wajdan Mikhail Salam
Email: minister@humanrights.gov.iq
Salutation: Your Excellency

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. (Please note that e-mail addresses for Iraqi authorities can be changed at any time). Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA: 212/09 (MDE 14/026/2009) 7 August 2009. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE14/026/2009/en

Source:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE14/032/2009/en/5642d799-cfe1-407d-bee9-adc055b0fed0/mde140322009en.html

Campaign to release 36 people abducted from Ashraf

Three Court orders ignored!

Today, the higher court in Iraq ordered the release of the 36 Ashraf residents in detention.  This is the third order following previous verdicts on 17th of September, and 23rd of August, finding them NOT GUILTY.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Amnesty International, Members of Parliament, dignitaries and human rights organisations from across the world all have called for urgency to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and further loss of lives.

I would like to ask you to help us by adding your voice to ours 
Contact Iraqi embassy in London as well as the United Nations to urge them to respect the rule of law and do what it takes to release detained people.

Please take a couple of minutes to write a few lines and make a phone call to Iraqi embassy as you see this message.

Your effort will help to save lives.

Contact Details
Iraqi Embassy in London:
Phone:     +44 207 5909 220
Fax:         +44 207 5847 909
To write a message: Click here for Online message

Embassy of the Republic of Iraq
3 Elvaston Place
London SW7 5QH

Please E-mail a copy of your letter to:
United Nations:
UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon;
E-mails: sgcentral@un.org, sg@un.org

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq
Mr. Ad Melkert; E-mails: melkert@un.org, arikat@un.org, hajaj@un.org, al-najjar2@un.org

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Ms. Navanethem Pillay; E-mails: registry@ohchr.org

Sample Letter:

Iraqi Ambassador
London, United Kingdom

Attention of:
Mr. Nuri Al-Maliki
Prime Minister of Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq

Date:

Dear Mr. Al-Maliki,
I write to urge you the release of the 36 Ashraf residents detained in Iraq.

Three times the Iraqi court ruled to have them freed but Iraqi police in Diyala are refusing to release them.

Your government would bear great responsibility if anything happens to them.

They are 36 Iranian refugees who have been living in Camp Ashraf for the past 23 years. They were illegally beaten, shot and arrested at the end of July, and they were tortured in an Iraqi prison.

The 36 hostages at present are in such a critical condition that losing any of them would not be too long after 64 days of hunger strike.

We demand that you urgently order Iraqi police in Diyala to implement the al-Khalis court decision and release our relatives.

Sincerely Yours,

Document - Iraq: Amnesty International urges the immediate release of 36 Iranian detainees

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement
AI index: MDE 14/031/2009

29 September 2009

Iraq: Amnesty International urges the immediate release of 36 Iranian detainees

A group of 36 Camp Ashraf residents continue to be held at a police station in the town of al-Khalis, in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, since they were arrested by Iraqi security forces on 28-29 July 2009. The 36 men are in poor health and continue to maintain a hunger strike.

According to latest information and after referral to a criminal court in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, on 16 September the investigative judge in the town of al-Khalis confirmed his previous ruling of 24 August 2009 ordering the release of the 36 men on the grounds that they had no charges to answer. A second charge of illegal residency in Iraq was said to have been dismissed by the investigative judge. The public prosecutor, who had appealed the investigative judge’s first ruling, is said to have had no objection to their release without charge. However, despite the judge’s ruling and the men lawyers’ pleas, the local police at al-Khalis continue to refuse to release the detainees yet have provided noreasons or legal justificationfor their continuing detention.

Amnesty International now urges the Iraqi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the 36 Camp Ashraf residents. The organization calls on the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to personally intervene and order an investigation into the failure of the police at al-Khalis to release the 36 men. Amnesty International reiterates its opposition to any forcible return of Iranians, including the 36 detainees or other Camp Ashraf residents, to Iran in circumstances where they would be at risk of serious human rights violations, including torture and execution.

Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org

Source:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE14/031/2009/en/f4ed6098-fbea-45ba-8df4-f64b2501441d/mde140312009en.html

47 MPs, Peers write to Iraqi PM demanding release of Iranian refugees

 The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom

PRESS RELEASE
Forty seven cross-party MPs and Peers jointly wrote to the Iraqi Prime Minister on Tuesday demanding Iraq releases 36 Iranian refugees whose release order was signed by an Iraqi judge on Monday after two months in detention and on hunger strike.

The 36 Iranian refugees, who are residents of Camp Ashraf with “protected persons” status under international law, have been on hunger strike for the past 64 days against their unlawful detention.

Writing on behalf of a majority of MPs and 200 members of the House of Lords, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale and his Parliamentary colleagues urged Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to "issue a directive ordering the immediate release of the 36 before any further harm comes about to them".

"The attack on the civilian population in Camp Ashraf by Iraq’s armed forces, in which these 36 were arbitrarily detained, was illegal. It has greatly tarnished Iraq’s image in the eyes of the international community. Any deterioration in the health of these refugees after two months on hunger strike is the responsibility of your government", the MPs and Peers wrote to Mr. al-Maliki.

The court in Khalis yesterday for the third time ordered the release of the 36 Ashraf residents. It definitively acquitted all of them of bogus charges of attacking police and entering Iraq illegally. The court affirmed that the judgement was final and not liable to further appeal.

Police in Diyala have unlawfully refused to release the 36.

"Your government has an obligation to release these innocent people both under Iraqi law and international law. Iraq’s right to uphold its sovereignty is not incompatible with respect for the human rights of the PMOI members in Ashraf and international law", the Parliamentarians wrote.

"In the quest for establishing democracy and freedom in Iraq, our country did not put its soldiers’ lives on the line and use taxpayers’ money so that the current Iraqi government would end up violating human rights and international laws and standards", they wrote.

The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
29 September 2009