A joint written statement by three creditable international organizations France Libertés:Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and le Mouvementcontre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples (MRAP) was registered as an official document in the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council.

The statement that is titled as “The residents of Camp Ashraf (Iraq) need to be protected “condemns settling of agents of the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) in front of the main gate of Camp Ashraf and asserts:”Using extremely powerful loudspeakers provided to them by the Iraqi government, they are threatening the residents of Ashraf almost round-the-clock with another violent attack and the destruction of the Camp in order to psychologically torture them.”

The statement also underscores: “The Iraqi government has proved neither willing nor capable of providing security and protection to the residents of Ashraf; on the contrary, it has clearly violated its obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The limited presence of UNAMI at Ashraf and restrictions arising from its exclusively monitoring role has virtually prevented UNAMI to use its full potential to protect the fundamental rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf…”

The statement recommends: “the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately dispatch an envoy who will make a detailed report on the human rights violations suffered by the residents of Camp Ashraf, and eventually make a recommendation to the Security Council for the protection of the Camp to become part of the UNAMI.”

Parts of the statement are as follows:

Human Rights Council
Fourteenth session
Agenda item 4

Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Joint written statement submitted by France Libertés:Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), non-governmental organizations in special consultative status, le Mouvementcontre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples (MRAP), a non-governmental organization on the roster

General Assembly
26May 2010

The residents of Camp Ashraf (Iraq) need to be protected
Introduction
Ever since the United States handed over the protection of Camp Ashraf (home to 3,400 Iranian dissidents, including 1,000 women) to the Iraqi government in early 2009, the situation at the Camp has deteriorated in every respect.
Notwithstanding, the deadly and unprovoked July 2009 attack, which left 11 residents killed and more than 500 wounded, the Iraqi government has made every effort to make life in Ashraf “intolerable,” as promised by the former Iraqi National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie in an interview with al-Forat (Iraqi TV channel). The political uncertainty in the aftermath of the March Parliamentary elections in Iraq offers an extremely helpful opportunity to further harass the residents of the Camp.
Since the failed stage-managed escapade on December 15, 2009, in which three dozen minibuses, escorted by Iraqi army Humvees, roamed Camp Ashraf, urging the residents to get on board for travel to the EU countries, the Iraqi forces, under direct orders from the “Committee for the Closure of Ashraf, in the Prime Minister’s Office,” has increased pressure on residents of Ashraf in different ways.

Legal status of residents of Ashraf
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1546 in June 2009, announcing that the occupation of Iraq would end on 30 June 2009. In July 2004 the US-led Multi National Force – Iraq recognized the residents of Ashraf as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Consequently, the UN continues to bear responsibility for the protection of the Camp Ashraf’s residents.
Pressure on residents of Ashraf
Since July 2009, the ban on family visits to Ashraf has continued. No family member has been allowed to enter the camp. The Government of Iraq does not issue visas to the families living in the U.S. or European countries that plan to go to Iraq to visit their relatives, thus violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Restrictions placed on entry of physicians and specialists into Ashraf have continued. On numerous occasions, representatives of Ashraf residents have discussed the medical difficulties and limitations with UNAMI1 representatives…
Although following intervention by UNAMI, after nearly five month of an absolute ban some fuel has been allowed into the Camp, there continues to be a serious shortage of fuel supplies, which are needed for operating generators and infrastructural systems as well as supplying water to all parts of Ashraf. There is also an urgent need for gasoline, distributing foodstuffs and kerosene for cooking, heat and hot water… These limitations have posed risks to hygiene in Ashraf. Iraqi forces have also created difficulties regarding the entry of foodstuffs, which is part of the war of attrition pursued by Iraqi authorities. On some occasions, there has been so much delay in allowing the trucks carrying food items into the Camp, that the food has rotted and impossible to use… This has turned into a constant psychological pressure on the residents who are struggling to have their most basic needs met.

The harassment of the Camp Ashraf’s residents
Since February 8, 2010, a dozen or so of Iranian citizens, posing as family members of the residents to Camp Ashraf, settled in front of the main gate of the Camp, enjoying the cooperation of the Iraqi police and army units supposedly tasked with the protection of the residents.
Using extremely powerful loudspeakers, provided to them by the Iraqi government, they are threatening the residents of Ashraf almost round-the-clock with another violent attack and the destruction of the Camp in order to psychologically torture them. The noise is so loud that it has practically deprived the residents from having any rest…
On April 15, 2010, Iraqi forces issued an ultimatum to the residents of Ashraf to remove the loudspeakers installed along the Camp’s main road. These loudspeakers are used primarily for airing the Muslim call for prayer, Adhan, and for other religious occasions. This unlawful ultimatum is part of a series of suppressive and provocative measures, which pursue no objective other than launching another assault on the Camp to slaughter a greater number of the residents. Around midnight, when the loudspeakers aired threats against them the residents played music in order to counter the threats. The Iraqi forces said that the government had ordered that loudspeakers installed inside Camp Ashraf be turned off. Subsequently, heavily-armed Iraqi forces, backed by five armored Humvees, entered Ashraf and beat up the residents with electric batons and iron bars, wounding five and trying to abduct a number of others.
On April 17, the political advisor of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made some remarks about the population of Camp Ashraf. Iraqi Free Radio quoted him as saying, ” … These people have violated the law and it is the right of the Iraqi government to undertake necessary measures as is the right of the security forces… It is the right of the Iraqi forces to enter with force. They are lucky that Iraq does not subscribe to violence. Under any other government, they would have faced live fire which would have instantly wiped them out.”

Conclusions
…
All indications are that there could be another humanitarian catastrophe in Camp Ashraf after the killings and the brutalities that occurred in July 2009. The Iraqi government has proved neither willing nor capable of providing security and protection to the residents of Ashraf; on the contrary, it has clearly violated its obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The limited presence of UNAMI at Ashraf and restrictions arising from its exclusively monitoring role has virtually prevented UNAMI to use its full potential to protect the fundamental rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf.

Recommendations
We call upon:
• the Government of Iraq to comply with its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and to protect residents of Camp Ashraf;
• the Special Rapporteur on torture & other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to visit Camp Ashraf as a matter of urgency;
• the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately dispatch an envoy who will make a detailed report on the human rights violations suffered by the residents of Camp Ashraf, and eventually make a recommendation to the Security Council for the protection of the Camp to become part of the UNAMI.