NCRI, 02 June 2009 – The French Committee for a Democratic Iran, comprised of French political figures, former ministers, parliamentarians, jurists and human rights advocates, wrote a letter to the US President on May 29, describing the Iraqi police’s sudden intrusion at Camp Ashraf as a suppressive act.
The letter to President Barack Obama stated that these actions take place after new calls were issued by the Iranian regime’s leaders to “implement a bilateral agreement” to close down Camp Ashraf, where 3,400 members of the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), reside.
The committee urged President Obama to remind Iraqi officials of their commitments on respecting the legal rights of Ashraf residents.
The French committee also wrote, “What has happened is in particular a violation of the Iraqi government’s assurances to the US with regards to respecting the rights of Ashraf residents and can pave the way for the occurrence of a humanitarian catastrophe, for which the Tehran government has designs. On April 24, the European Parliament passed a resolution concerning; ’The Humanitarian Situation of Camp Ashraf.’ The motion emphatically called on the Iraqi Prime Minister to ensure that his country’s officials do not enact measures which could result in the violation of human rights of Ashraf residents, and called on the Iraqi authorities to protect the lives and the physical and mental integrity of the Camp Ashraf residents and to treat them in accordance with obligations under the Geneva Conventions.”
The letter to President Obama from the French Committee for a Democratic Iran was signed by Alain Vivien, former French Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Francois Colcombet, former judge and member of the French National Assembly. The committee members wrote that in view of the committee, if the Iraqi government fails to comply with the European Parliament resolution and continues to violate the rights of Ashraf residents, the only option left is to obtain through the UN international guarantees for the protection of Ashraf by American forces or a UN-led force.
