Exiled Iranians start their 150th day of protest in front of the UN European headquarters

EFE, Geneva, 22 Sept 2011 – The exiled Iranians in Switzerland started their 150th day of protest at the UN European Headquarters in Geneva. They demand that international organizations send human rights monitoring teams to Camp Ashraf in Iraq.
“Over the past 150 days, hundreds of Iranians and families of the Ashraf residents have been protesting at the UN compound in Geneva demanding international protection for the camp,” said the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Maryam Rajavi.
 The Iranian leader in Geneva participated in an event organized by a group of non-governmental human rights organizations to discuss the situation in Ashraf, where an Iraqi military raid in April caused the deaths of 34 people and injured 340, later confirmed by the UN.
In her statement, Rajavi expressed her disappointment at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) for not taking an active role in protecting the 3,400 residents of the camp.
The UNHCR said it had received several refugee requests and would consider each case individually.
Rajavi requested that all Camp Ashraf residents be treated as refugees, and “deny the Iranian regime and its allies in Iraq an excuse to carry out more attacks on Ashraf.”
She asked that the UN to put the camp under its “vigilance” and declare it  a “demilitarized zone” to force the withdrawal of Iraqi forces who are stationed nearby.