Two-and-a-half months after the massacre at Ashraf, the Iraqi government continues to prevent return of the T-walls and provision of security and humanitarian minimums at Liberty.
Flooding and sewage spill-over make movement in parts of Liberty impossible
NCRI – Two-and-a-half months after the massacre and abduction of the residents of Camp Ashraf by Iraqi forces, the agents under the command of the Nouri al-Maliki continue to prevent the provision of security minimums at Camp Liberty.
The September 5 joint plan by UNAMI and the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, approved by the Iraqi government, had stipulated that “the GOI guarantees the safety and security of the residents in Camp Liberty” and “shall take all necessary security measures to prevent any rocket attack or security threat to Camp Liberty… The GOI agrees to install T-Walls and allow additional sand bags for the protection of the residents in Camp Liberty pursuant to a UN security recommendation”.
In reality, however, in September, the Iraqi government, instead of installing the 17,500 T- Wall which protected the trailers, has only installed 192 T-walls, or a mere one percent. Since the end of September the Iraqi forces have prevented further installation of T-walls, which provide the only protection that could reduce the residents’ vulnerability to rocket and mortar shrapnel.
At the same time, at the behest of the Iranian regime, the Iraqi government intends to install more surveillance cameras in Liberty. In doing so, it is beguiling the US and the United Nations by claiming that the cameras will be used for security and protection purposes.
Despite thousands of meetings, letters and contacts by the residents and their representatives in Liberty, Washington, DC, New York and Geneva, in the past 18 months, the Iraqi government has refused to provide other security and humanitarian provisions in Liberty, including construction of roads, drainage canals and other requirements. As such, with the rainfall, the situation at Liberty has again become critical (see attached photos).
Flood waters have made it impossible for cars and residents to move on dirt roads, especially the sick and wounded. Repeated efforts by the residents since early 2012 to hire Iraqi contractors at their own expense to asphalt the roads and repair the drainage canals have been obstructed by the Iraqi government. In addition, the rainy season and the consequent flooding are causing contamination and spread of infectious diseases throughout the Camp.
Many of the trailers are worn-out or have been damaged by mortar shrapnel in February and June 2013, causing rain water to pour in and making them unusable. Months ago, the residents had purchased silicon glue and other equipment to waterproof the trailers. However, the Iraqi forces are preventing their entry into the camp. And repeated requests by the residents from UNAMI and the US Embassy to resolve this issue have been to no avail.
Through fabrication, Martin Kobler, the UN Secretary General’s now-departed Special Representative on Iraq, falsely claimed that Camp Liberty was a Temporary Transit Location (TTL), which met the minimum humanitarian standards, forcing the residents to relocate from Ashraf to Liberty. Now, after 21 months, despite spending $20 million to improve the Camp, Liberty is far from meeting basic humanitarian standards. More importantly, a TTL is designed for a few-weeks or few-months stay; something which is not the case for Liberty.
Given the repeated and written assurances of the US government and the United Nations concerning the security and safety of the residents of Liberty, the Iranian Resistance demands the immediate intervention of President Obama, Secretary Kerry and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to provide the minimum security and humanitarian requirements at Liberty until all the residents are resettled in third countries.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
