AFP (translated from French), Auver-sur- Oise, 11 Feb 2013 – The People’s Mojahedin (Iranian opposition), based in Aurver-sur Oise in France near Paris, on Monday held the Iraqi government responsible for Saturday’s deadly attack against an Iranian refugee camp in Iraq.
“An attack against a camp defenseless camp is the mullahs’ terrified response,” said President of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Maryam Rajavi unveiled the “Iranian regime’s crimes” and also its accomplices in the “heart of the Iraqi government”.
“Camp Liberty is located in a completely closed military zone near an airport and there is no practical to access the area inside without specific cooperation from within the Iraqi government,” said Maryam Rajavi at the ceremony in Auver-sur Oise in which hundreds took part to commemorate the victims.
This ceremony was held at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran two days after the attack, with many dignitaries participating including former Algerian prime minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali and former US military officers who served in Iraq, such as General David Philips.
Saturday’s attack against Camp Liberty took place near Baghdad killing six PMOI members and dozens of other group members were wounded after being hit by mortars and missiles. To this day no one has assumed responsibility for this attack.
“The United Nations Secretary-General must appoint a new and impartial official and dispatch a commission to investigate into this massacre,” said Maryam Rajavi, emphasizing on the United States’ responsibility regarding the camp residents’ protection.
The PMOI was established in 1965 with the goal of overthrowing Shah’s regime and then the Islamic regime. They became targets of suppression in the 1980s after numerous military operations.
During the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, a portion of this group’s members stationed in Ashraf in Iraq under the support of Saddam Hussein’s regime to continue armed attacks against Iran.
These Iranian dissidents remained as refugees in Iraq and last year transferred from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya (or Camp Liberty in English) located near Baghdad. This was according to an agreement signed at the end of 2011 between Iraq and the UN, meaning this was a temporary transit location prior to their departure from Iraq.