Al-Hayat daily, 3 Oct 2012 – European MPs accused Iraqi officials of attempting to ‘plunder’ refugee members of the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran in Iraq, AFP reported. They called on the EU and US to intervene and impel the Iraqi government to respect their rights.
These MEPs led by Struan Stevenson, conservative from Scotland, stressed Iranian refugees in Camp Ashraf (located 80 km north of Baghdad) have the right to sell their belongings before departing the camp which they lived in for 30 years.
These MEPs, members of the “Friends of a Free Iran Group”, explained that the value of PMOI’s assets is estimated at $500 million.
The Iraqi government intends to plunder Ashraf residents’ property and prevent their transfer and sale, the MEPs said in their statement issued following their session in Brussels with National Council of Resistance of Iran President Maryam Rajavi.
They pressed on the necessity of “respecting the right to ownership” of the Iranian dissidents and called on Brussels and Washington to pressure the Iraqi government.