The International Committee of Jurists in Defense of Ashraf (ICJDA) that enjoys support of 8,500 jurists in Europe and North America, in separate letters to the Multi National Force-Iraq and the US Ambassador to Iraq, regarded the sudden entrance of the Iraqi police forces into Ashraf as a suppressive and unlawful action which prepares the ground for a humanitarian catastrophe in Ashraf and a violation of the Iraqi government’s obligation to the US government with regard to respect for the rights of Ashraf residents and emphasized on necessity of undertaking Ashraf protection by the US forces.

ICJDA underscored: “Today’s tremendously dangerous action takes place while despite all the pliability shown by the residents of Ashraf, the Iraqi government has refused to acknowledge their rights in accordance with the International Humanitarian Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention which have also been underscored by the European Parliament in its 24 April resolution.
Iraqi police entrance into Ashraf is while the Iranian regime, at the brink of its presidential election, has launched a new battle against the residents of Ashraf and started exerting new pressures upon the Iraqi government in order to expel and extradite them. On one occasion, the regime’s President, Ahmadi-Nejad as well as its secretary for the Supreme Council of National Security, Said Jalili, called in their meeting with Iraq’s Foreign Minister for “Implementation of the mutual agreements”.

Recent developments and particularly today’s suppressive measure indicate that the Iraqi government posses neither the will nor the necessary independence of action to respect the rights of Ashraf residents and to implement the European Parliament’s resolution which determines the minimal rights of Ashraf residents. Therefore, as announced by the International Committee of In Search of Justice (encompassing 2,000 lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic), the only option remains is for the US government to ensure international protection for Ashraf and to take up the responsibility of protection in accordance with its international commitments and obligations. This is particularly so as the Ashraf residents are totally defenceless after they handed over all their weapons to the US forces and in return the United States undertook their protection.