On 30 November 2010, Pax Christi International issued a letter addressed to Ms. Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, concerning the Iranian refugees of Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

Pax Christi International is a global Catholic peace movement and network that works to help establish Peace, Respect for Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation in areas of the world that are torn by conflict. Today, the movement has more than 100 Member Organisations active in more than 50 countries and five continents worldwide.

The text of the letter to Ms. Catherine Ashton is as follows:

Dear Ms. Ashton,
Since 2003, the conflict in Iraq has been one of the main focal points of Pax Christi International. As a non-governmental peace movement working on a global scale in the field of human rights we are committed to aid the Iraqi people in their quest for peace and reconciliation. In the spirit of our solidarity with the people of Iraq we would like to add our voice to the calls of the European Parliament to urge the US government and the UN to help the Iranian refugees of Camp Ashraf.
Many residents of Camp Ashraf residents are members of People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), the principle democratic opposition to the Iranian regime, exiled in Iraq for over 20 years. The PMOI has been on the US terror list since 1997. This terrorist label is now being used by the Iraqi authorities to impose a cruel blockade on the 3,400 residents of Ashraf obstructing the supply of even the most basic goods and services. In Iran many of their alleged supporters have been issued death sentences or have received long prison sentences because of this designation. The unlawful targeting of the Ashraf residents and their supporters under false pretexts by both the Iraqi and Iranian authorities has already sparked worldwide outrage and has led among others to the removal of the PMOI from the EU terrorist list in 2009.
The Ashraf residents are protected by 4th Geneva Convention and International Law, which prohibits the use of threats, violence and attacks against them. As an organisation defending human rights and the rule of law, Pax Christi International welcomes the European Parliament’s written declaration on behalf of the Ashraf refugees and strongly supports its recommendations to help their plight. We therefore would like to ask you to honour the European Parliament’s request to urge the US government to follow the EU’s example by removing the PMOI from its terrorist blacklist and to call upon both the US and the UN to provide urgent protection for the residents of Camp Ashraf.
The continued disregard of the Camp Ashraf crisis will inevitably result in further bloodshed. We therefore hope that the numerous appeals to provide much aid to the refugees of Camp Ashraf and their supporters will not fall on deaf ears.
Yours sincerely,
 
Claudette Werleigh, Secretary General,
Pax Christi International