INTV, 17 Oct 2013 – Civil society organizations and entities signed statement calling for the release of the seven Camp Ashraf hostages abducted Maliki’s forces during the Sep 1 raid.

The signing organizations and entities include:

High Council of Civil Society Organizations in Kurdistan – Kurdistan Lawyers Syndicate – Iraqi Refugees Worldwide Federation – Kurdistan MPs Union – Kurdistan Human Rights Institute – Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate – Kurdistan Political Sciences Society – Hippocrates Oath Association – Civil Work Organization – Kurdistan Human Rights Organization – Kurdistan Civil Rights Organization – Arab-Kurd Friendship Society – Dehuk Institute for Culture – Federation of Worldwide Societies and Organizations – Zagros Organization – Society of Friendship between Free Nations – Popular Support Organization – Kurdish American Organization – Kurd Writers Union (Kirkuk Branch) – Kurdistan Zargari Party – Kurdish Committee in Defense of Ashraf and Liberty Residents – Kurd Writers Society – Kurdistan Intellectuals Association – Kurdistan Free Women Society – Association in Defense of Refugees – Kurdistan Youths Association – Association of Physicians and Professors in Defense of Human Rights – Friendship Committee of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian People

The text of the international campaign and call for the release of 7 Iranians refugees abducted in Iraq

Condemning the massacre in Ashraf and calling for the release of seven hostages, we call on the United Nations, along with European governments and the United States to take action to prevent another crime, protect these refugees and have UN forces take over their protection. Security must be provided for Liberty residents because ever since the responsibility of protection of Iranian opposition members refugee in Iraq was handed over from US forces to the Iraqi government, the lives of these defenseless refugees has been endangered and there hasn’t been one day that they haven’t faced harassment. To this day they have been targeted in five military and bloody attacks by the Iraqi government leading to hundreds of these refugees being killed and wounded.
24 hours after the massacre of Ashraf residents on 1 September 2013, the UNAMI delegation inspected the camp and identified the bodies of 52 refugees.
According to this report, 7 people – including six women – were abducted by the Iraqi forces attacking the camp and to this day there is no information about their whereabouts.
All residents of the two camps Ashraf and Liberty are ‘protected persons’ under the 4th Geneva Conventions and recognized by the UN Refugee Agency as refugees and asylum seekers, and are protected according to international law. Currently the residents of Camp Liberty in Baghdad Province, and at the same time refugees in various countries including Germany, Switzerland, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada have launched hunger strikes and announced they will continue until the release of those abducted.
We the signatories of this statement join voice with the international camp in this regard and while condemning this inhumane carnage, we demand the immediate release of the seven abducted hostages and respect for refugee rights. The US State Department and other countries and international organizations have also called for this.
We call on the United Nations and international human rights centers, especially European governments and the US to immediately take action to prevent another crime, and have UN forces assume the protection of these refugees.

Arbil – Iraqi Kurdistan
October 2013

Signatories:
Adnan Anwar – High Council of Civil Society Organizations in Kurdistan
Wariya Sa’di – Kurdistan Lawyers Syndicate
Dashti Jamal – Iraq Refugees World Federation
Ne’mat Abdullah – President of the Kurdistan MPs Union
Ali Karim – Kurdistan Institute of Human Rights
Azad Mohamed Amin – Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate
Jabbar Mohamed– Kurdistan Political Sciences Society
Yousef Ibrahim – Hippocrates Oath Association
Nazzar Mohamed – Civil Work Organization
Rassoul Mohamed – Professor, Kurdistan Human Rights Organization
Akram Ahmed Najibmai – Kurdistan Civil Rights Organization
Salah Badr-adin – Arab & Kurd Friendship Society
Abdolaziz Mohsen Barezani – Dehuk Institute for Culture
Suran Ramezan Ali – World Federation of Associations and Organizations
Tarvat Ismaeel Omar – Zagros Organization
Mohamed Ahmed Azraqi – Society of Friendship between Free Nations
Badal Abdolbaqi Barwari – Popular Support Organization
Ribin Rassoul – Kurdish American Organization
Mohamed Saeed Zangane – Kurd Writers Union (Kirkuk Branch)
Zirak Kamal
Himan Mirani – University professor
Rahmad Gharib – Journalist
Mahdi Kawani – Journalist
Ibrahim Abbas – Journalist
Mohamed Chawoshin – Journalist
Shuwan Hurami – Journalist
Latif Fateh Faraj – Writer and journalist
Ibrahim Balisani – Writer and journalist