Berliner Umschau, 28 Dec 2012 – Just days before Christmas another resident of Liberty died due to Iraq’s inhumane and excessive pressures.
All of the camp grounds have been flooded with backtracking sewage water. The responsibility is on the shoulders of Martin Kobler, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq (UNAMI).
27 years ago Iranian dissidents People’s Mojahedin built Camp Ashraf in the middle of Iraq’s desert. The camp, with its 3,400 residents including 1,000 freedom loving women, was not tolerated by the mullahs. At the behest of the mullahs, during the past two years Ashraf was attacked by the Iraqi Army, leaving a total of 50 dead and one thousand injured. The international community became angry and Iraq was officially condemned and warned.
The UN Secretary-General missioned German diplomat Martin Kobler to negotiate with the Iraqi government in order to find a peaceful solution. Thus, without any coordination with Ashraf residents, Kobler agreed over a temporary camp called Liberty. He provided written assurances regarding the residents’ security and Liberty’s infrastructure as the fundamental conditions for relocation. However, to this day these promises have not been provided for. Therefore, the residents themselves are forced to take action to procure water, electricity, medical treatment and other needs. The residents have to this day sent numerous complaints, providing documents and evidence to the UN Secretary-General and other UN organs.
According to the report issued by UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Camp Liberty has been turned into a prison. This is an official assessment of Kobler’s work.
Following the residents’ mandatory relocation to Liberty prison where they were only allowed to take 5% of their property, the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad ordered the Iraqi government to prevent Ashraf residents from selling their assets and property in Ashraf, valued at over $500 million. On this issue Martin Kobler played an important role against the residents.
The Iraqi NINA news agency reported on 20 December 2012, “Iraqi MP Taha al-Loheibi described the misunderstanding as being caused by Martin Kobler’s position regarding Camp Ashraf, adding that Kobler has not kept his promises regarding Liberty residents selling their assets and property in Camp Ashraf. We are shocked and surprised from this position taken by Martin Kobler.”
Martin Kobler’s roadmap
When Martin Kobler visited Iran in May 2012 and met with the Ministry of Intelligence, and of course afterwards meeting with the Iranian ambassador in Iraq time and again, with these meetings focusing on Iranian dissidents People’s Mojahedin in Ashraf and Liberty, it was clarified why Kobler from the very beginning emphasized on the residents quick relocation. The residents’ mandatory transfer to a prison called Liberty, which is in flagrant violation of UN standards, was only in favor of the mullahs’ regime.
Mr. Tahar Boumedra, former head of the UNAMI Human Rights Office in Iraq, who was in charge of Ashraf’s affairs, provided the following remarks in the US Congress on 13 September 2012: “I have to testify that from the very first day SRSG Kobler arrived to Baghdad he tapped me on the shoulder and said hi Mr. Ashraf, meaning that I’m going to deal with you very soon. In fact, he dealt with me in a sense where he removed me from every mailing list of UNAMI. As the chief and in charge of the file, as the leader of the team on Ashraf I had no access to any of the information, any report and any document that is circulated related to Ashraf. Not only that, I was also banned from visiting Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty. And it was at that stage I decided to resign.… I do confirm here in front of you that UNAMI has no independence what so ever. Every issue dealt with regarding Ashraf is decided at the prime minister’s office and sometimes at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.”
In a ceremony marking International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2012, Martin Kobler praised Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki, who has been summoned by the Spanish National Court for the crime of mass murder in Camp Ashraf, and said, “The Prime Minister’s remarks are in line with the UN’s agenda on human rights. This is a correct and realistic obligation to human rights… I am very happy to participate in this gathering. I am very happy that the Prime Minister is in this event… What we are doing in Iraq is in line with the government’s actions and parallel to strengthening human rights in Iraq….”
On 20 March 2012, Bardia Amir Mostofian, a 44-year old engineer who was political refugee in Germany, transferred to Liberty in the third convoy. However, a few hours after entering the camp he suffered a heart attack due to severe fatigue and lost his life. The mandatory relocation took place under enormous pressure imposed by Kobler. Mr. Bardia was in the process of the inspections of the residents and their luggage for 48 consecutive hours.
And just days before Christmas 2012, Mr. Behrooz Rahimian suffered a cardiac arrest and lost his life in Liberty. UNAMI and Martin Kobler were previously informed of his poor health conditions and refusals to provide medical treatment for him in a Baghdad hospital.
Martin Kobler’s obvious silence regarding the Iraqi government’s crime of preventing essential medical care to Iranian refugee Mr. Behrooz Rahimian is the result of his flattering approach towards Maliki.
Martin Kobler’s lies regarding UNAMI’s so-called care and supervision of Camp Liberty have now been completely revealed after Mr. Rahimian’s demise and all of Liberty being engulfed in backtracked sewage water during the Christmas holidays, which has placed the residents facing the threat of illness and a serious epidemic.
Now, all Liberty residents are requesting from the UN Secretary-General to immediately return to Ashraf. The time has come for Martin Kobler to be held accountable.
