OMCT:
Iraq: Letter to the European Union’s Special Representative on Camp Ashraf
Re: Fear for the safety of Camp Ashraf’s residents
Your Excellency,
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the largest Network of NGOs fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the world, welcomes your appointment as the European Union’s special representative on Camp Ashraf, and wishes to avail itself of this opportunity to express its deepest concern about the safety of Camp Ashraf’s residents, in Diyala province, 90 km north-east of Bagdad.
Camp Ashraf is home to 3,400 unarmed civilians, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group. In July 2004, Camp Ashraf residents were entitled as “protected persons” to the protections provided in the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949). The United States of America (USA) administration also signed an agreement with each resident to protect them until their final disposition. In January 2009, the USA handed the protection of Camp Ashraf over to the authorities of Iraq. However, despite guarantees by the Iraqi government, the camp has been raided on two occasions since 2009 in view of expulsing its residents and closing the camp. The attacks led to the deaths of 47 residents and hundreds of injured.
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