Members of Parliament from all Parties condemn the increasingly belligerent efforts of the
Government of Iraq (GoI) to force members of the Iranian opposition PMOI to relocate from Camp
Ashraf to Camp Liberty without upholding their minimum human rights.
The GoI is breaching its commitments by preventing the residents from transferring their water
pumping equipment, utility and passenger vehicles, special vehicles and trailers for the disabled,
forklifts, and items necessary for building pavements, canopies and green areas.
The residents of camps Ashraf and Liberty are all “protected persons” under the Fourth Geneva
Convention and have been recognised as “asylum seekers” and people of concern under
international protection by the UNHCR.
After more than 10 weeks of delay, on Sunday the GoI permitted the transfer of some of the
belongings of groups four and five of Ashraf residents who had moved to Liberty.
The GoI however prevented the transfer of three special vehicles and six trailers for the disabled,
six utility vehicles (water, sewage and fuel) which belonged to the fifth convoy, five forklifts, 50
passenger vehicles or alternatively suitable number of busses for 2,000 people, and 6 powerful
generators essential for providing electricity at Camp Liberty.
Despite repeated assurances by Iraqi, UN and US officials that Liberty would be connected to the
city’s water network by 20 July, this has not happened. Iraq continues to deny residents permission to build pavements, porches, canopies, ramps, special facilities for the disabled and green areas.
Further, the GoI prevents merchants and bidders from having access to Ashraf to negotiate and buy the residents’ movable properties as soon as possible and start making partial payments to the residents prior to the resumption of group transfers.
We condemn the continued serious breaches of the rights of Ashraf and Liberty residents, and we
encourage residents not to resume transfers to Liberty until their minimum human rights are
respected under international law. We urge the UN and US to live up to their responsibilities in
ensuring respect for the residents’ human rights and fulfilment of their minimum demands.
The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
16 July 2012
