Professor Richard Roberts, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take measures and intervene in order to guarantee Ashraf residents’ rights and prevent prison-making measures carried out at Camp Liberty by Maliki at the behest of the Iranian regime.

The letter of Professor Robers reads:

January 13, 2012
Hon. Ban Ki-moon:
It has come to my attention that once again the residents of the Ashraf camp in Iraq are being
mistreated by the Iraqi government. I have seen reports that the relocation of the Ashraf
residents to Camp Liberty, where they were supposed to be processed by the UNHCR, is being subverted by the Iraqi government into something completely different. It appears that the Iraqi government is now trying to imprison the residents, who are to be confined in a small area with high concrete walls with Iraqi security forces, who have already massacred them twice,stationed inside the area. The accommodation and infrastructure needed to house so manyresidents is nonexistent. The Gol is not allowing the residents to take their movable belongings,including their vehicles, with them and they are prevented from seeing the site prior to moving in. Worse still the control of the camp is going to be in the hands of the same committee that has suppressed and mistreated the Ashraf residents for years. The authorities of this committee are subjected to prosecution by the Spanish International Court for crimes against humanity.This is totally unacceptable.

I vehemently object to this arrangement and demand that a group of 5-10 engineers of Ashraf
residents visit and approve the new location before the first 400 residents are moved in. I call
on all parties involved, especially the United Nations and the United States to assure a
humanitarian and peaceful process in the coming months. The Iraqi government that appears
to be acting at the behest of Iran should not be allowed to further oppress these residents who have suffered for so many years. You, sir, and UNHCR must ensure that the residents of
Camp Ashraf are treated with the dignity and humanity that they deserve and which has been
so lacking for many years. I urge you to become personally involved in this effort.