Iraqi political figures and associations issued calls to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN High Commission on Refugees to express their concerns regarding the status of Camp Liberty residents.
Senior Iraqiya Coaliton leader Dr. Zafer al-Ani explained the drastic conditions of Camp Liberty to UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres.
“To this end, recognizing Liberty as a refugee camp by the UNHCR is a necessity and a vital need. Refraining to do so will have dire consequences for these refguees and is a violtion of the rights which the UNHCR and His Excellency emphasiezed. Otherwise, we believe the residents’ request to return to their home at Ashraf, which they resided in for a quarter of a centruy, is absolutely fair and necessary,” he said.
Iraqi MP Dr. Ahmad al-Alwani called on the UN Secretary-General to take urgent action on this siutation.
“To this day, the promises made by Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq and UNHCR have not been fulfilled. Nearly one year after this process began, there is no doubt that the TTL plan has been nothing but a failure.
“Liberty residents seek to return to their former residence in Asrhaf and this is the only practical solution left to guarantee the minimum rights of these refugees under international laws.”
Iraqi Counsel in Defense of Human Rights
Services in Liberty have deteriorated and this has become a prison with various restrictions and limitations.
We call on the UN and US to respond positively to the residents’ legitimate request to return to Ashraf.
Association of Jordanian Jurists in Defense of Ashraf
After enduring nearly one year of medical siege in Liberty and the lack of the most basic infrastructures, and after the revelation of Martin Kobler’s biased and suspicious role in facilitating conditions to steal Ashraf’s property, meeting with Iran’s intelligence agents and negotiating with Iran’s infamous envoy in Iraq on the fate of Ashraf and Liberty residents, it has become crystal clear for everyone that the ridiculous ‘temporary transit location’ plan had no other intention than making Ashraf residents homeless.
We strongly support Liberty residents’ request to return to Ashraf. Therefore, we call on the UN Secretary-General and the US government to immediately arrange the necessary accomodations.
Freedom Center for Legal Studies
The forced transfer of Ashraf residents to Liberty by Kobler as the SRSG in Iraq was nothing but a forced eviction. We call on the UN Secretary-General to immediately return Liberty residents to Ashraf and appoint an impartial representative to replace Kobler for Ashraf’s affairs.
Association of Progressive Lawyers and Jurists
We call on the UN, UNHCR, US government and European Union to take urgent action to return the residents to Camp Ashraf. We call on the UN Secretary-General to appoint a new and impartial envoy for Iraq.
