It is over 140 days now that the Iraqi forces are preventing Camp Liberty residents from using their own forklift trucks forcing the residents to carry heavy loads with their bare hands and on their shoulders. This has caused severe orthopedic problems and severe pains in the back and upper limbs among the residents. Despite repeated referrals and correspondence by residents on a daily basis, UNAMI has taken no effective measures in this regard.
During the transfer of residents to Camp Liberty, Maliki’s government prevented the transfer of dozens of residents’ forklift trucks. In November 2012, in a trilateral accord (between UNAMI, Government of Iraq, and residents), two forklift trucks were transferred from Ashraf to Camp Liberty. However, the Iraqi forces kept them at the police center and stated that the residents can get the forklifts everyday and return them after they have finished their job. Since the onset, in breach of this agreement, the Iraqi intelligence only gave the forklifts to residents every few days. But now, this is the fifth month that the forklifts have not been given to the residents even once.
Likewise, this is the third consecutive week that the Iraqi forces are preventing entry of gasoline to Camp Liberty. From the time that residents first arrived at Camp Liberty, they brought in 400 liters of gasoline every week to the camp to be used for the limited number of vehicles in Liberty that are principally used for the patients, the injured and the disabled.
Depriving residents of their own forklift trucks and vehicles is nothing but a physical and psychological torture of the residents and a violation of international covenants and humanitarian and human rights laws whose perpetrators must face trial and punishment.
Meanwhile, the mullahs’ intelligence that is extremely concerned about the public wrath and hatred and the international condemnations regarding the crimes of splashing acid on women and girls and the execution of Rayhaneh Jabbari has threatened in its chain of websites that it will deal another blow against Camp Liberty. A text run by all these websites says: “Instead of trying to exploit the acid attacks, the PMOI should be busy finding a place other than Liberty… The Iraqi Hezbollah and the children of Shabania Uprising of that country, would welcome attacking the Monafeqin (derogatory termed used by the regime for PMOI) in Camp Liberty after they finish off the tumult of the Takfiri ISIS.”
Given the repeated and written commitments by the U.S. government and the United Nations regarding the security and well-being of Camp Liberty residents, the Iranian Resistance calls for their immediate intervention to end the criminal siege on Liberty, including free access to gasoline and forklift trucks. Moreover, the Iranian Resistance calls on all international bodies defending human rights and refugee rights to participate in a global campaign to revoke this anti-human siege.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 29, 2014