Shahriar Kia
Global Politician, December 31, 2009
Eleven years have passed, but my memories of living in U.S, when I was a young teenager between years 1991 to 1998 still is on my mind. I am a 28 year old Iranian, living in Iraq, and even though many years have passed by, I still well remember those memories that I have from my school in North Virginia.
You may ask why I decided to leave my life there and come from U.S to somewhere like Iraq, where people face explosions daily and a country with so many crises. I am an Iranian and I had to make a serious decision about my life that was affected by the suppression and human rights violations existing in my country.
I couldn’t just look at the pictures of my late mother and father, knowing that they sacrificed their lives for their country. How could I think about youngsters of my age in Iran whom are under torture and daily street executions and close my eyes to these heart stopping facts. These were reasons to encourage me for coming to Iraq and a place called Ashraf. Because here is the source of Iranian hope for freedom and change in Iran.
A lot of Iraqis call Ashraf ’the Pearl of Desert’ because of the value that it has for also the Iraqi people. John F. Kennedy once said: Don’t ask what your country has done for you, ask what you have done for your country? Ever since that my country has been occupied by religious dictatorship, contrary to the Mullahs in Iran, I believe in freedom and democracy for my people and for this very same reason I can’t go back to my country, my return is equal to facing torture and execution.
Ashraf is my home and also that of other 3400 Iranians in exile, members of a democratic movement who seek a change for Iran without dictator Mullahs. Ashraf has been built by its residents over past 24 years. This city, like any other city, has a college, a public library, a swimming pool and sports arena, beautiful parks and even a movie theater. After the occupation of Iraq by the US, all the Ashraf residents handed over their arms and weapons to the US forces voluntarily and following a 16 months of screening process all the PMOI members living in Ashraf by nine US agencies, no charges were found against any of us in Ashraf and every individual residents granted the status of ’the protected person’ under the fourth Geneva Convention by the US government in 2004.
The New York times of 27 July 2004 wrote: ’Senior American officials said extensive interviews by officials of the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation had not come up with any basis to bring charges against any members of the group’ . Ashraf resident had the highest level of cooperation with the US forces to provide security in Iraq until this very day.
On the first of January of 2009, the US forces transferred the security of Ashraf to Iraqi authorities. The fact that The Iraqi government is under the strong influence of the Iranian regime, they have imposed an inhumane and illegal siege on Ashraf. Food items, medication, fuel and other daily needs of the camp have been prevented from entering through by the Iraqi government during last year.
At the end, on 28th and 29th July 2009, the Iraqi forces attacked the unarmed and defenseless Ashraf residents leaving 11 deaths and wounding 500. I lost two of my best friends, Hanif 28, and Siavoush 27. Iranian regime and some Iraqi officials who have close links with mullah’s regime have put pressure on residents of Ashraf. The aim is the destruction of the main democratic alternative to Mullahs regime in Iran.
The Iranian regime’s justification for oppressing Residents of Ashraf is the PMOI designation in the US FTO list which would result to a humanitarian catastrophe. In 1998 Clinton administration placed PMOI in State Department terror list at behest of Mullahs of Tehran and as ’a good will gesture’ in favor of Iranian regime.
The appeasement policy towards Iran had gained momentum by Khatami coming to power as president. The EU which though by prescribing PMOI in the black list would give more influence to so called ’Moderates’ in Iran, followed US government decision and in 2001 prescribed PMOI in the black list. Through a wearisome seven year legal battle by Iran resistance in Europe, after seven strong rulings by European Courts, the EU finally revoked the terror tag from PMOI in January 2009. Unfortunately, however, the USSD has still kept PMOI in its terror list to keep a window open for possible negotiations with Ahmadinejad.
The Iranian people’s uprising, with heroine icons like Neda Aghasultan, has shown that Iranian people do not want the religious dictator rule. The appeasement policy towards Ahmadi Nejad and Khamenai has proven a failure. It is the time for US Government to change path and stand up to its pledge to human rights and humanitarian obligations. Keeping PMOI in terror list and pursuing the appeasement policy not only has not stopped Tehran mullahs in their nuclear project and export of terrorism, but has had the mullahs regard it as a sign of Western weakness.
Consequently, the mullahs are emboldened to do their utmost to acquire nuclear weapon. However, those are the people of Iran and residents of Ashraf, as the members of the Resistance, who are paying the price of such a policy. Today, the only way to put an end to the dictatorship in Iran is the firmness vis-à-vis the Iranian regime and support for those who have dedicated their lives for the cause of democracy in Iran.
