Camp Ashraf Families of Mojahedin Cult Offered Solidarity by Paris Conference
(+ Statement)
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...The conference, attended by people from Europe and North America, produced a statement stressing that more must be done to challenge the stalemate at the camp where 3400 people are imprisoned by cult leaders. The statement also forms the basis of a cooperative working document for the next year between the Camp Ashraf families and the conference delegates ...
CNBC, June 21, 2010
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37808533
PARIS, June 20, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A conference in Paris on Saturday asked international human rights organisations to be more involved in rescuing victims trapped in a violent cult in Iraq. Families and ex-members of the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) linked up from Paris with the families who have camped outside Camp Ashraf in the Diyala province of Iraq for over four months. In Iraq, tens of journalists and local tribe leaders joined the families, while in Paris, Swiss author Anton Gessler, Dutch journalist Nelly Tomasini and MKO expert Massoud Khodabandeh analysed the group.
The families' only demand is unrestricted visits with relatives outside the camp. In a telephone link up with Iraq, Soraya Abdollahi, speaking for the families, thanked supporters, saying, "We have no choice but to stay and insist on our and our children's' minimum rights." Camp Ashraf (now Camp New Iraq) has housed Mojahedin-e Khalq members for thirty four years. Once allies of Saddam Hussein, the leaders disarmed in 2003 when American forces attacked their bases. But Mojahedin leaders, Massoud and Maryam Rajavi refused to surrender to the allied forces or Iraqi authorities and for seven years have held their followers hostage inside the camp. Members have no access to outside information and are subjected to a daily regime of indoctrination and hard labour.
Iman Yeganeh, who escaped the camp in April 2010 after 22 years of captivity, described the situation for people inside the MKO as despairing. He said, "People are being told the Iraqis will kill them if they leave. Knowing about Saddam's security services, when I left I believed I would be killed. Even then I had to plan carefully how to finally get out." In Iraq, victims and their families are helped by Sahar Family Foundation; established in 2008 by ex-members and families with support from Iraq's authorities who also want to see a swift end to the self-imposed MKO siege. From Iraq, the website www.SaharNGO.com was announced, providing up-to-date information about the camp.
The conference, attended by people from Europe and North America, produced a statement stressing that more must be done to challenge the stalemate at the camp where 3400 people are imprisoned by cult leaders. The statement also forms the basis of a cooperative working document for the next year between the Camp Ashraf families and the conference delegates.
SOURCE Iran-Interlink, www.iran-interlink.org
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Statement of the gathering in Paris in support of the families of the victims of Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf Iraq
Link to the original statement and Signatories:
http://iran-interlink.org/fa/?mod=view&id=8260
With faith in the generosity of people, with the aim of rejecting all kinds of violence, terrorism and cultish behaviours and with the aim of helping the families of the victims of Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf – Iraq, more than 200 human rights activities are participating in this gathering on the 19th of June 2010 in Paris. ---------- Also read: Victims in Camp Ashraf continue to suffer as Washington backed Rajavi cult forces video performances . ... Mohammad Karimi has been made to sit before a camera without his military uniform, he is seated somewhere like a gymnasium inside the garrison. His speech is marked by MKO-speak and cult jargon as he swears at and insults his own sister and the Prime Minister of Iraq. Karimi claims that he is at war with Iran and that Iran’s leader (Ayatollah Khamenei) and the Prime Minister of Iraq (Nouri Al Maliki) have been defeated simply by him sitting inside the camp and refusing to see his sister ... Iran Interlink, June 10, 2010 For over four months the families of Rajavi’s hostages in Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf) have been picketing outside the gates of the camp demanding the right to meet with their relatives During these four months they have asked for help from all the major international agencies concerned with the camp; UNAMI, ICRC, UNHCR, etc, including the American Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill. So far, despite their clear humanitarian case, no help has been forthcoming. Now in a bid to force the families to give up and leave without meeting their loved ones, Massoud Rajavi has devised a plan to single out each of the hostages whose relatives have come to find them and one by one sit them in front of a camera to swear at and abuse their own families as well as the Iraqi government. Sadly, the hostages inside the camp have spent over two decades incommunicado and have had no contact with the outside world through media, telephone or the internet, and have certainly had no contact with their families in all that time. Following is one of the forced video sessions broadcast by the Washington-backed terrorist cult leaders in which Mohammad Karimi has been made to sit before a camera without his military uniform, he is seated somewhere like a gymnasium inside the garrison. His speech is marked by MKO-speak and cult jargon as he swears at and insults his own sister and the Prime Minister of Iraq. Karimi claims that he is at war with Iran and that Iran’s leader (Ayatollah Khamenei) and the Prime Minister of Iraq (Nouri Al Maliki) have been defeated simply by him sitting inside the camp and refusing to see his sister. We should not forget that these people have been used and exploited by Rajavi and Saddam for over two decades. When Rajavi and his wife (co-leader of the cult) ran away just before the arrest of Saddam, they abandoned these people to be used as hostages and bargaining chips. Now over seven years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, these people are still kept incommunicado and are imprisoned in the camp by the leaders of the cult with the backing of the USG and its agencies in Iraq. Any right minded person can clearly see in his eyes the pain of swearing at his own sister. Any right minded person can understand that if this was not a forced video confession, he could have been allowed to walk to the gates of the garrison without a prison guard and tell his sister to go home and that he is happy to stay there. Any right minded person can see that the problem for the camp and Rajavi as its leader is not whether they want to engage in political activities or not (in that case the first step would have been to escape self-imprisonment in the deserts of Iraq), but their fear of the families and human rights activist trying to make contact. Rajavi must answer to the outside world why no marriage is allowed among members, why no children have been born to any members for twenty years, why there are not even newspapers, or radio, no TV, no telephone or email to contact the outside world, etc. Why do those who have managed to escape the camp all report severe human rights violations against the people stuck inside without any recourse to help or contact? The backers of Rajavi and other remains of Saddam’s era (especially, the infamous Ros-Lehtinan in the US House of Congress, Struan Stevenson in the European Parliament and Robin Corbett in the British House of Lords) should hang their heads in shame for supporting and endorsing such severe abuse of human rights of hostages in front of the eyes of their families. Following is the broadcast forced video of one of the victim hostages, Mohammad Karimi tortured to sit in front of a camera and play as instructed, including swearing at his own sister whose only 'crime' is that she has been sitting outside the camp for the past four months hoping to see him. Link to the Video file (14 Mb, Real Player) ----------- ---------- Also: Families of Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult, NCRI) captives at gates of Camp Ashraf remain cheerful and optimistic . ... The families are cheerful and optimistic. They are being encouraged and facilitated by the Iraqi authorities, who also want the Mojahedin to comply with demands of the Iraqi Government. The Mojahedin have accused these families of being ‘agents of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry’ who have come to kill them. Rajavi has indoctrinated his followers with fear and loathing of their own mothers and fathers ... Iran-Interlink, Camp Ashraf, Iraq, May 30, 2010 Charkh bar ham zanam ar gheire moradam gardad For the past four months the families have been asking to meet with their relatives who remain captive inside the camp. The families have established a small camp of their own to out-wait the Mojahedin’s stubborn refusal to comply with their simple request. The families are cheerful and optimistic. They are being encouraged and facilitated by the Iraqi authorities, who also want the Mojahedin to comply with demands of the Iraqi Government. The Mojahedin have accused these families of being ‘agents of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry’ who have come to kill them. Rajavi has indoctrinated his followers with fear and loathing of their own mothers and fathers. Of course, the work of dissolving a mind-control cult is not easy. Cult experts would agree that the two groups of people who most threaten the leaders’ control over members’ minds are the ex-members and the families of current members. This is no different in the case of the Mojahedin-e Khalq. Having been pushed into a corner by the revelations of the ex-members, the cult now faces the absolute determination of these families to achieve their aim. The families will stay at Camp Ashraf until they have freed their children. ---------- Also Iranian families demand Ambassador Hill helps them meet their children detained in Camp Ashraf . ... Iranian families, who travelled from Iran and other countries four months ago to sit in front of the headquarters of the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq in Diyala province (Camp Ashraf), called on the United States Ambassador in Iraq, Christopher Hill, to intervene and put pressure on the organization's leaders to end their suffering and allow them to meet with their children, who have been detained within the camp since the 1980s ... Iraq Beituna Agency, May 27, 2010 BAGHDAD - Iranian families, who travelled from Iran and other countries four months ago to sit in front of the headquarters of the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq in Diyala province (Camp Ashraf), called on the United States Ambassador in Iraq, Christopher Hill, to intervene and put pressure on the organization's leaders to end their suffering and allow them to meet with their children, who have been detained within the camp since the 1980s. * * * * عوائل ايرانية تطالب السفير هيل بمساعدتها على لقاء ابنائها في معسكر اشرف بديالى بغداد (إ ب ا)- طالبت عوائل ايرانية قدمت من ايران والمعتصمة منذ اربعة اشهر امام مقر منظمة خلق الإيرانية في محافظة ديالى (معسكر اشرف), طالبت سفيرالولايات المتحدة الامريكية في العراق كريستوفر هيل بالتدخل والضغط على قادة المنظمة لانهاء معاناتهم ولقاء ابنائهم المحتجزين داخل المعسكر منذ عقد الثمانينات من القرن الماضي. * * * * ---------- Also: Iraqi media reports on appeal of families at Camp Ashraf . ... Iranian families who have been picketing in front of the military base Ashraf - home to the Mojahedin Khalq organisation in Diyala province - for the last 4 months, asked Christopher Hill, the US ambassador in Baghdad, for his help in negotiating with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (aka Rajavi cult, MEK, MKO, PMOI, NCRI) to give visiting rights to the detainees in Camp Ashraf … Al adala, Baghdad, May 29, 2010 -------------- Also: Families lobby for PMOI visitation rights . ... The PMOI family members say their relatives are held captive in Camp Ashraf, adding if Washington can broker an agreement with Iran, similar arrangements are possible with the PMOI. "If America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families," the families said ... UPI, May 20, 2010 LONDON, May 19 (UPI) -- Iranian families called on U.S. officials in Baghdad to broker visitation rights to Iranian dissidents encamped in their Diyala province enclave. ----------- Also Families of MEK Victims in Camp Ashraf, Iraq Want Same Visiting Rights as U.S. Detainee Families in Iran . ... Urging Mr. Hill to intervene on their behalf with the leaders of the MEK the families said, "Your government successfully arranged for the mothers of U.S. detainees in Iran to visit their children on compassionate grounds But, if America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families" ... Human rights today, May 18, 2010 A group of Iranian families today asked the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, for his help in negotiating with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (aka Rajavi cult, MEK, MKO, PMOI, NCRI) to give visiting rights to the detainees in Camp Ashraf in Diyala province. * * * Open Letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Mr Christopher R. Hill Dear Ambassador, We are Iranian families who have travelled to Iraq to find relatives enslaved by the Mojahedin-e Khalq organisation (aka Rajavi cult, MEK, MKO, PMOI, NCRI) in Camp Ashraf. We families have been encamped outside the gates of Camp Ashraf for nearly four months now, and still not been helped enough to meet with our relatives. We now have news that the mothers of three young Americans, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, detained in Iran are flying over there to visit them in prison. We are so happy for these families that negotiations with Iran have resulted in allowing these visits on compassionate grounds. Everyone in the world knows the strength of the bond between parent and child. We hope they will achieve their wishes in Iran. We share the same anguish as these three mothers, with the difference that our children have been held captive in Camp Ashraf for over twenty years, not by the Iraqi government but by the very leaders of the group they are with. And conditions inside Camp Ashraf are worse than any prison; our children are not allowed to telephone or even to write to their families, they have been enslaved. Up until 2003 we could not approach the camp where our children live because the Mojahedin-e Khalq were armed. We became hopeful when U.S. Forces disarmed the group and rounded them up into one place. At last there was hope of visiting. But the U.S. Army failed to get the group to surrender, even though it is on the U.S.’s own terrorism list as well as being a foreign terrorist group in Iraq. Even when we travelled to Iraq to find our children, the U.S. Army did not help us. Those few members who were lucky enough to meet their families always had MKO minders with them to prevent them from escaping. When the Government of Iraq took control of the camp in January 2009 we again had hope that we could visit our children. But the MEK leaders refuse to cooperate and have not only kept the gate locked but threatened us with violence if we don’t leave. Now the Iraqi government is doing what it can to help us, but for almost four months we are still stuck at the entrance gate without news. Over these four months we have talked to everyone we can; UNAMI, the Red Cross, human rights groups, Diyala tribal leaders, Iraqi and foreign press, Iraqi government officials and the military personnel responsible for the camp. In private we have been told over and over again that the Iraqi government cannot do more to help us because the Mojahedin-e Khalq has powerful backing in America (where it is on the U.S. terrorism list). We witnessed ourselves that American soldiers intervened on behalf of the MEK leaders when Iraqi soldiers tried to help us get inside the camp. Now we are finally convinced that no one but America has control over this group - and even then we see that the tail is wagging the dog. We ask you as a matter of urgency, as Ambassador of the USA to Iraq, to use the considerable influence that you have to force the Mojahedin-e Khalq in Camp Ashraf to allow, on compassionate grounds, for our children to meet freely with us ------------ Also No one is to open the gates of Ashraf from the within . ... BBC report starts with a sight of a big lock on the gate of Ashraf and the starting point of the text is “No one is to open the doors; all cries are uttered in vain”. Then the father of an Ashraf resident tells the reporter “It is for 22 years that I’ve received no letter of my son”. Some MKO members managing to escape from Ashraf are quoted as saying “Mojahedin high rankings prevent members to leave camp by means of intimidation, threat, and coercive measures”... Omid Pouya, Mojahedin.ws, May 16 2010 Since the gathering of the families of MKO victims and captives before Camp Ashraf, Mojahedin media as well as advocates have staged a new round of propagation and have repeatedly asked the mass media and reporters from all over the world to cover Camp Ashraf news for the world to be informed of what is happening therein. But is it really sincere in what is advertising? A review of BBC’s report in 26 April, basically in Persian, discredits all claims made by the organization as well as the truth of the statements made by the family of MKO members made in their nearly three months of gathering before the camp to let the world hear their cries of protest against the most blatant form of the modern slavery and to see and release their children and beloved ones from the clutches of the terrorist organization. ---------- Link to BBC program (Persian), April 26, 2010: http://iran-interlink.org/fa/?mod=view&id=8025 or or ---------- Also: Official American version of events at Camp Ashraf
... There were allegations during the year that some of the 3,400 members of the MEK terrorist organization located at Ashraf were denied the right to leave under threat of reprisal from MEK leaders. These allegations were corroborated by several former Ashraf residents who had fled the camp. Individuals claimed to have been subjected to psychological and physical abuse ... State Department, USA, March 2010 2009 Human Rights Report: Iraq Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices March 11, 2010 Link to the full report (...) a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life ... On July 28, clashes erupted at Ashraf in Diyala Province when the ISF attempted to establish a police presence inside the more than 3,400-person compound of the terrorist Iranian dissident group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). The clashes resulted in the deaths of 11 MEK members and injuries to 30 ISF officers. The government credibly claimed the MEK provoked the clashes by staging a violent demonstration to block the ISF from entering the compound. (...) d. Freedom of Movement, Internally Displaced Persons, Protection of Refugees, and Stateless Persons ... There were allegations during the year that some of the 3,400 members of the MEK terrorist organization located at Ashraf were denied the right to leave under threat of reprisal from MEK leaders. These allegations were corroborated by several former Ashraf residents who had fled the camp. Individuals claimed to have been subjected to psychological and physical abuse, including threats of reprisal against family members and solitary confinement in Ashraf to discourage defections. ----------- Also: The secretary of US embassy exposed Mojahedin Khalq(MKO, MEK,PMOI, Rajavi cult) leadership . ... The second secretary of the American embassy in Baghdad, published a documented report on the crimes committed by the MEK’s leaders who bloodshed their own colleagues, raped the women of Ashraf, poisoned and executed dozens of the defectors ... Fars News Agency,Translated by Nejat NGO, October 22, 2008 Link to the orginal reprot (Persian) The Second secretary of US embassy report on the horrible crimes of MKO leader ----- Also: British Minister of State: We believe it is in the interest of residents to cooperate peacefully with Iraqi authorities . ... Government of Iraq would deal with the residents of the camp with respect for their human rights in co-operation with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. We believe it is in the interests of the residents to respect and accept the decision made by the Government of Iraq, and to cooperate peacefully with the Iraqi authorities ... House of Commons, British Parliament, March 16, 2010 David Drew (Stroud, Labour) To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iraq on the situation in Camp Ashraf; and if he will take steps to ensure that residents of Camp Ashraf are not driven from Iraq. Ivan Lewis (Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Bury South, Labour) We have discussed the situation at Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Human Rights Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Iraqi Government's Ashraf Committee. I met the Iraqi Foreign Minister in Baghdad in December 2009 and underlined the need for the Iraqi authorities to deal with the residents of Camp Ashraf in a way that meets international humanitarian standards. In addition we discuss the issue with the UN, US, and the EU. The Iraqi authorities have told the residents that they can no longer stay at Camp Ashraf but has given assurances that no residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution, or where substantial grounds exist to believe they would be tortured. The Iraqi Human Rights Minister confirmed to our ambassador on 27 January 2010 that the Government of Iraq would deal with the residents of the camp with respect for their human rights in co-operation with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. We believe it is in the interests of the residents to respect and accept the decision made by the Government of Iraq, and to cooperate peacefully with the Iraqi authorities. ---------- Also UK Parliament - some sensible answers to Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) claims . ... In the case of occupied territory, the Convention continues to apply for a year after the general close of military operations, and partially thereafter if the occupying power continues to exercise the functions of government. The occupation of Iraq formally ended on 30 June 2004... UK Parliament, April 20-21 2009 Written answers ----------- Also read: I. Summary II. Background III. Rise of Dissent inside the MKO IV. Human Rights Abuses in the MKO Camps V. Testimonies May 2005 ----------- Also Film from Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf) Iran-Interlink, at the gates of camp Ashraf, Iraq, April 2010 Film showing the violent reaction of Mojahedin-e Khalq to the families trying to visit their children who are being held captive inside the camp by the Rajavis. (Link to the Video file Part one, 100MB) * * *
(Link to the Video file Part two, 100MB) * * * ------------
Also read: America, are you listening? If Rajavi harms even a hair on my sister's head, America, you are responsible! . ... Iraqi media and local dignitaries visit families outside Camp New Iraq (Ashraf) where Washington-backed terrorist group, Mojahedin-e Khalq are holding 3500 people hostage. Human Rights groups say Rajavi refuses to allow family visits in the camp. The video shows Hoorieh Mohammadi from Canada asking Americans and the MKO for compassion... Iran-interlink, outside camp New Iraq (Ashraf), February 2010 Iraqi media and local dignitaries visit families outside Camp New Iraq (Ashraf) where Washington-backed terrorist group, Mojahedin-e Khalq are holding 3500 people hostage. Human Rights groups say Rajavi refuses to allow family visits in the camp. The video shows Hoorieh Mohammadi from Canada asking Americans and the MKO for compassion. Link to the video file (200 MB, One hour) ------- Also: Human Rights Minister: documents confirm the illegality of the presence of people in Camp Ashraf in Iraq . ... For decades the MKO have been in this camp and have not been regarded as refugees. Now neither the UNHCR nor the International Organization for Migration deal with them on that basis. The Ministry has addressed these organisations formally more than once in order to lend a helping hand to them, but they always affirm in their responses that that the MKO is a military organization and has not demilitarized ... Alsabah, Baghdad, March 18, 2010 (Translated by Iran Interlink) After investigations by the Iraqi Minister of Human Rights, Minister Salim said that the presence of the residents of Camp Ashraf in Iraq is illegal. She stressed that the Iraqi government will deal with them in a purely humanitarian manner, and added that since 2003 it has secured the freedom of 300 of them who wanted to leave the camp. حقوق الانسان: وثائق تؤكد عدم قانونية تواجد سكان معسكر أشرف في العراق http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=interpage&sid=99446 اكدت وزيرة حقوق الانسان المهندسة وجدان سالم ان تواجد سكان معسكر اشرف في العراق غير قانوني فيما شددت على ان الحكومة العراقية تتعامل معهم بشكل انساني بحت لاسيما انها امنت منذ عام 2003 اخراج 300 منهم رغبوا بترك المعسكر. المهندسة سالم اوضحت ان وفودا من الوزارة تقوم بزيارة المعسكر بين الحين والاخر للاطلاع على احوال سكانه بالتنسيق مع مكاتب اللجنة الدولية للصليب الاحمروالامم المتحدة المتواجدة هناك ،كاشفة عن اعادة اكثر من 36 شخصا طلبوا الخروج من المعسكر خلال اقل من سنة وباشراف الوزارة المباشر ، منهم طلبوا العودة الى ايران بدون اي تاثير من جهات حكومية اذ تمت احالتهم الى اللجنة الدولية للصليب الاحمر التي تولت مسؤولية ذلك . ونبهت الى ضرورة عدم السماح بنقل مشاكل دول الجوار الى العراق ، لافتة ان عناصر منظمة خلق الساكنين بالمعسكر منذ عشرات السنين ليسوا بلاجئين لاسيما ان منظمة الهجرة الدولية ومفوضية شؤون اللاجئين لا تتعاملان معهم على اساس ذلك وترفضان التعاون معهم ، اذ ان الوزارة خاطبت هاتين الجهتين بشكل رسمي لاكثر من مرة بغية مد يد العون لهم الا انهما تؤكدان في اجاباتهما دائما على ان اليات تواجدهم تدل على انهم منظمة عسكرية ليست منزوعة السلاح وانهما ستتعاملان معهم حال خروجهم من المعسكر بصفة مدنية،اما مسألة حمايتهم فاوضحت انه وفقا للقوانين والاتفاقات الخاصة بحماية الاشخاص فان على هذه الجهات توفير الحماية للسكان اذا ما توافدوا من بلد يعاني من نزاعات عسكرية او حروب ،مبينة ان ذلك لا ينطبق على هؤلاء كونهم ليسوا من دولة تعاني من حروب او نزاعات. وبينت سالم انه منذ بداية سريان الاتفاقية الامنية المشتركة مع الولايات المتحدة والتي تم خلالها نقل مسؤولية المعسكر من الجانب الامريكي الى العراقي فقد تغير الوضع القانوني لهم بشكل كامل لاسيما بعد الاطلاع على ملفات المتواجدين هناك واوراقهم الرسمية التي لم نجد بها اية طلبات لجوء او حماية ما يدل على ان تواجدهم غير شرعي. ودعت الى ضرورة ان تكون الصفة العامة في التعامل معهم هي الصفة الانسانية وعدم ترحيلهم الى بلدان قد يتعرضون بها الى اذى او تعذيب ،مؤكدة ان الحكومة العراقية التزمت بهذا المبدأ ولم تنقلهم قسريا الى مكان اخر لا تتوفر به خدمات او عناية، مبدية استغرابها من رفض سكان المنطقة الانتقال الى اية ارض عراقية اخرى غير ارض المعسكر علما انها غير مؤجرة او موهوبة لهم من قبل اية جهة. --- Also: New document on Mojahedin Khalq released by RAND (The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq, A Policy Conundrum) . . . RAND, August 05, 2009 A new document (133pages) was released today by RAND * * * Link to the document (pdf file) ... A RAND study examined the evolution of this controversial decision, which has left the United States open to charges of hypocrisy in the war on terrorism. An examination of MeK activities establishes its cultic practices and its deceptive recruitment and public relations strategies. A series of coalition decisions served to facilitate the MeK leadership's control over its members. The government of Iraq wants to expel the group, but no country other than Iran will accept it. Thus, the RAND study concludes that the best course of action would be ... Link to the document (pdf file) ------- Also read: U.S. Handling of Mujahedin-E-Khalq Since U.S. Invasion of Iraq Is Examined (The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq , A Policy Conundrum) . . Jeremiah Goulka, Lydia Hansell, Elizabeth Wilke, Judith Larson, RAND, August 04, 2009 At the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Coalition forces classified the Mujahedin-e Khalq, a militant organization from Iran with cult-like elements that advocates the overthrow of Iran's current government, as an enemy force. The MeK had provided security services to Saddam Hussein from camps established in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War to fight Iran in collaboration with Saddam's forces and resources. A new study from the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, looks at how coalition forces handled this group following the invasion. Although the MeK is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, coalition forces never had a clear mission on how to deal with it. After a ceasefire was signed between Coalition forces and the MeK, the U.S. Secretary of Defense designated this group's members as civilian "protected persons" rather than combatant prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. The coalition's treatment of the MeK leaves it – and the United States in particular – open to charges of hypocrisy, offering security to a terrorist group rather than breaking it up. Research suggests that most of the MeK rank-and-file are neither terrorists nor freedom fighters, but trapped and brainwashed people who would be willing to return to Iran if they were separated from the MeK leadership. Many members were lured to Iraq from other countries with false promises, only to have their passports confiscated by the MeK leadership, which uses physical abuse, imprisonment, and other methods to keep them from leaving. Iraq wants to expel the group, but no country other than Iran will accept it. The RAND study suggests the best course of action would have been to repatriate MeK rank-and-file members back to Iran, where they have been granted amnesty since 2003. To date, Iran appears to have upheld its commitment to MeK members in Iran. The study also concludes better guidelines be established for the possible detention of members of designated terrorist organizations. The study, "The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum," can be found here. For more information, or to arrange an interview with the authors, contact Lisa Sodders in the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 393-0411, ext. 7139, or lsodders@rand.org. Learn More iconFull Document (http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG871/) iconNational Security Research Area (http://www.rand.org/research_areas/national_security/) iconE-mail sign up (http://www.rand.org/publications/email.html)
No doubt, in the present circumstances, Iranian society inside and outside the country is in need of peace and awareness more than ever. We see it as our duty to create an atmosphere in which these could be achieved and therefore we reject all kinds of violent ideologies as well as all kinds of cultish beliefs. We believe that dialogue and interaction between different ideas could and should be the way forward. The people gathered here include human rights groups and activists, experts in cults and anti terrorism, as well as families of the victims who have joined us in this gathering.
As the majority of the participants in this gathering are ex members of Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, the following statement is designed to be the focal point for the future co-operation between the signatories as well.
1- We believe that the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation led by Mr. Massoud Rajavi and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi during the past three decades with their insistence on the two parameters of Ideology and Military, have changed the organisation in to a religious-terrorist cult. The brainwashing of the members is aimed at diminishing any resistance to the lifetime leadership of Rajavi and his wife Maryam. The leader of the cult was engaged in mercenary work for Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, and in return Saddam allowed the leadership and members of Mojahedin Khalq to be transferred to Iraq where the leadership had all the tools needed to suppress the critics in the known atmosphere of Saddam’s era. Massoud Rajavi and Maryam Rajavi tortured their critics in solitary confinement and if this would not lead to the desired result and the resistance against them persisted, then in co-operation with the Secret Services of Saddam’s regime they would send their victims to the prisons of Iraq, one of which was the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, from where ten surviving inmates (ex MKO members) are available here to testify in any international court.
2- Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, in order to deceive and legitimise their activities and to garner support for the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, portray themselves s the only democratic alternative to the Iranian regime. This is an organisation which, according to an overwhelming number of European diplomats working in Iran, enjoys no support among the people inside Iran. We ask all international policy makers and politicians and governments not to use such terrorists as Massoud and Maryam Rajavi as tools for short term benefits. This is no more than giving ransom to terrorists when practically all the people of Iran have complaints against them.
3- We the supporters and signatories to this statement warn that after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the leaders and high ranking members of the Mojahedin Khalq have escaped to European countries, taking with them whatever money and documents were given to them by the fallen regime before its collapse. They are using known faces in European parliaments as lobbyists to whitewash their history of terrorism and long-lasting cooperation with Saddam’s dictatorship, and either reject the abundant documents available or to try to legitimise them with excuses. The ideological, organisational, financial and military relation between the MEK and the Baath Party of Saddam is not a secret. Films and documents of the joint criminal activities of Rajavi and Saddam are available and presentable to any court.
4- We announce our support for the French government’s correct move on 17th June 2003 that resulted in the arrest of Maryam Rajavi and over 160 high ranking members of this terrorist cult. We also denounce and deplore the order by the leadership of the cult which ended in self-immolation of some cult members in the streets of Paris in June 2003. We thank the foreign minister of France Mr. Kouchner for his stance against terrorism and announcing this group to be a terrorist group. We ask the French Judiciary to expedite consideration of the complaint files filed by the victims of the Mojahedin Khalq against the leaders of the cult
5- We support the Iraqi government in its attempt to remove the Mojahedin Khalq forces from their country and deplore the various plots of the MEK leadership to prevent the Iraqi government from carrying out its responsibilities; plots which have already resulted in the death of some members. The responsibility for the outcome of such plots, which aim to prevent the transfer of members to wherever they want to go, is solely on the shoulders of the leaders of the cult.
6- Maryam Rajavi who resides in Auvers-sur-Oise in France is working on the concept of keeping the structure of the terrorist cult intact if and when the Iraqi government does remove the MEK forces from Iraq. She wants to have the whole organisation transferred intact to one of the European countries, most probably France or one of the Scandinavian countries. She is planning to re-start her terrorist activities from this new HQ in the heart of Europe. We, the participants of this seminar warn that the presence of the Mojahedin Khalq terrorist organisation is a serious threat to the safety of the people in European countries.
7- The participants in this seminar believe that many victims of Rajavi cult in Ashraf camp once they are freed will need psychological care and attention as they have been exposed to very long term psychological manipulation. For this reason we ask the ICRC, UNHCR, Médecins Sans Frontières, etc to visit and interview every one of the captives separately and evaluate their situation and needs.
8- We condemn the continuous harassment, character assassination and physical attacks carried out by the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation on the direct order of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi in Europe against ex members and critics of the cult as well as Iranians abroad who ask simple questions from the leadership of this organisation.
9- We believe that political and social struggle can not and should not undermine humanitarian feelings and family bonds. Therefore we ask the Mojahedin Khalq leaders to respect these feelings and let the families of those captive in Camp Ashraf visit their loved ones without the presence and harassment of cult leaders. We also call on these leaders to cancel the order of ‘no marriage’ inside the Mojahedin Khalq immediately.
10- Concerning the above paragraph, we ask the governments of Iraq, the US and European governments to become more active concerning the situation of the people trapped in Camp Ashraf by the Mojahedin Khalq leaders; to take more responsibility and act to secure the minimum of human rights, including the right of family visits, right to access to news and media and the right of choosing their future.
At the end we announce to the families of the victims picketing in front of camp Ashraf who have been trying to visit their loved ones for the last four months:
1- Your loved ones are our brothers and sisters. We have suffered alongside these people for years and surely we will stand with you until the day that they are released.
2- We assure you that all the interviews and whatever you hear from them on tapes are made under direct pressure of the organisation and we assure you that their hearts beat for you and that it is only your unconditional family love that can overcome the effects of these pressures.
3- We will do our best to bring your voice to the attention of international society and we adore your resilience and patience.
4- We are as aware as you are about the threats posed to the residents of camp Ashraf. We are afraid of what may possibly happen and will try our best to prevent it by bringing it to the attention of the outside world. We also ask you to neutralise these treats by your presence and vigilance.
On behalf of the Signatories
link to the names of Signatories:
http://iran-interlink.org/fa/?mod=view&id=8260
The conference committee
Paris, June 19, 2010
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8203
(Families have been picketting for the past 4 months)
http://www.iran-interlink.org
Link to the Video file (14 Mb, Real Player)
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8156
http://iran-interlink.org 
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8145
(translated by Iran Interilnk)
http://iraq-beituna.net/iba/index.php?option=com_content&view
=article&id=16126:2010-05-27-13-40-03&catid
=25:2010-03-29-16-22-39
In an Open Letter, a copy of which was also distributed to our agency in Iraq, the families demanded the U.S. ambassador in Iraq help with intervention and dialogue with leaders and officials of the [Mojahedin] organization, to allow the families free access to their children outside the walls of the camp in the same way that the three U.S. mothers were able to travel to Iran recently and meet their three children (Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal) who are detained there.
The body of the message addressing Mr Hill said, “Your government successfully arranged for the mothers of U.S. detainees in Iran to visit their children on compassionate grounds… But, if America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families. if America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families.”
The families expressed the hope that the involvement of Ambassador Hill and the U.S. government with leaders of the organization, would create a serious and positive end to their suffering and enable them to meet their children, detainees at Camp Ashraf.
وطالبت العوائل المعتصمة في رسالة مفتوحة وصلت وكالة العراق بيتنا نسخة منها وجهتها للسفير الامريكي في العراق التدخل والحوار مع قادة ومسؤولي المنظمة المذكورة للسماح لها بمقابلة ابنائهم بحرية خارج أسوار المعسكر أسوة بالعوائل الأمريكية الثلاث التي زارت ايران مؤخرا ً وتمكنت من اللقاء بابنائهم الثلاثة (شون باور، سارا شورد ، جاش فاتال) المعتقلين هناك.
وجاء في نص الرسالة "السيد هيل: لقد رأينا بان الحكومة الامريكية قد نجحت وعلى اساس انساني بترتيب ملاقاة الامهات الامريكيات مع ابنائهنّ المعتقلين في ايران، واذا تمكنت امريكا من تحقيق مثل هذه المفاوضات مع الحكومة الإيرانية، نتوقع منكم امكانية التفاوض مع هذه المجموعة الارهابية الصغيرة واستحصال الموافقة للقاء بأبنائنا الاسرى المتواجدين في المعسكر بكل حرية".
واعربت العوائل عن املها في ان يكون تدخل السفير هيل والحكومة الامريكية مع قادة منظمة خلق جادا ً وايجابيا ً لإنهاء معاناتهم واللقاء بأبنائهم المحتجزين في معسكر اشرف.//
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8163
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8111
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/05/19/
Families-lobby-for-PMOI-visitation-rights
/UPI-88921274290771/
Members of the dissident People's Mujahedin of Iran are lodged in their Camp Ashraf enclave in Diyala province.
The PMOI opposes the clerical regime in Iran. Washington lists the group as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of opposition, though the group surrendered its weapons in 2003.
Iranian family members of Camp Ashraf residents called on U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill to award them the same rights that U.S. family members have with American hikers detained in Iran since July.
Family members of the hikers are expected Wednesday in Tehran.
The PMOI family members say their relatives are held captive in Camp Ashraf, adding if Washington can broker an agreement with Iran, similar arrangements are possible with the PMOI.
"If America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families," the families said.
The PMOI is included in the Iranian opposition movement the National Council of Resistance to Iran, a French-based group that considers itself the Iranian Parliament in exile. It denies the cult and terrorist categorization, claiming its policy is based on peaceful dissent. 
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8106
http://humanrights.einnews.com/article.php?nid=60944
The parents of captives in Camp Ashraf were responding to news that the mothers of three young Americans detained in Iran, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, are on their way to visit their children in prison there.
They said, "We are so happy for these families that negotiations with Iran have resulted in allowing these visits on compassionate grounds. Everyone in the world knows the strength of the bond between parent and child. We hope they will achieve their wishes in Iran."
For nearly four months the families have been encamped outside the camp which houses members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq terrorist cult. The cult leaders refuse to allow ordinary members to have any contact with the outside world and will not negotiate with external bodies. Some members have been trapped inside the camp for over twenty years.
Although the Government of Iraq is responsible for the camp, officials say their hands are tied because the MEK have powerful backers in Washington, even though it is on the U.S.'s own terrorism list. The families told Mr. Hill, "We witnessed ourselves that American soldiers intervened on behalf of the MEK leaders when Iraqi soldiers tried to help us get inside the camp."
Urging Mr. Hill to intervene on their behalf with the leaders of the MEK the families said, "Your government successfully arranged for the mothers of U.S. detainees in Iran to visit their children on compassionate grounds… But, if America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families."
Your government successfully arranged for the mothers of U.S. detainees in Iran to visit their children on compassionate grounds and we wish them every joy that such a meeting must bring. But, if America can negotiate this with Iran, we certainly expect that you can negotiate with this small terrorist group so that its members can meet freely with their families.
The families of MEK members in Camp Ashraf, Iraq
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=8103
http://www.mojahedin.ws/article/show_en.php?id=3506
BBC report starts with a sight of a big lock on the gate of Ashraf and the starting point of the text is “No one is to open the doors; all cries are uttered in vain”. Then the father of an Ashraf resident tells the reporter “It is for 22 years that I’ve received no letter of my son”. Some MKO members managing to escape from Ashraf are quoted as saying “Mojahedin high rankings prevent members to leave camp by means of intimidation, threat, and coercive measures”. And BBC reporter expounds on the reaction of Ashraf officials, stating: The gates of the camp are closed on the reporters too and despite we have called Mojahedin authorities inside camp many times, there is no answer to our questions. Finally, BBC refers to the main challenge of Ashraf victims and its solution: ‘The US recognizes Mojahedin as a terrorist organization yet it has some advocators among American and European politicians and lawmakers who defend the survival of camp Ashraf in Iraq. Now the basic question is how long the few advocates of Mojahedin are to victimize thousands of innocents and their families for their own interests? There are some points to be mentioned on the BBC report.
The report approved the fact that despite the dissemination of Mojahedin and inviting mass media to camp Ashraf, the organization has so far refrained to welcome the reporters’ presence and answering their questions. Instead, it refers to the gathering before the camp as a propaganda show staged by the Iranian regime and calling people and reporters Intelligence Ministry agents swarming at the front gate of Ashraf by the collaboration of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office. The report has some shocking scenes illustrating the oppression and injustice of Ashraf high rankings imposed on MKO victims, their families and children and focuses on the gap separating Ashraf from the family of its residents as well as the baseless claims of Rajavi on the point that Ashraf residents have remained there at will and its doors are open for those willing to leave and other lies fabricated by him for killing time and victimizing more members. There is no need to interpret the tearful eyes of an eight-year-old girl who has never seen his father since she was born. The BBC report contains justifiable and significant points to convince the global community, international humanitarian institutions and mass media to be concerned about the blatant violations of human rights and international rules by the leaders of a blacklisted terrorist cult that respects no convention, law and domestic legislation. Here are some suggestions that may well help avert further violations of human rights by the organization and possible release of the enslaved members.
1. The international organizations are supposed to send their independent delegates to Iraq to be informed of the events inside and outside Camp Ashraf directly if they ever care for human rights and justice. It may prevent victimization of more MKO members used as human shields in Ashraf. Mojahedin advocates can make a descent visit of camp in order to get at the truth.
2. The Iraqi Government has done its best in order to prohibit any human disaster inside Ashraf. It is the best position taking on the part of the government after the bloody conflicts of June 2009 in proving its goodwill toward Ashraf residents. According to BBC report, the Iraqi police are just trying to preserve order in the region maintaining neutrality, yet Mojahedin leaders insist on developing a violent atmosphere by means of assaulting and battering the family of Ashraf residents located beside camp. The best solution at the time being seems to be the direct interference of international organs and bodies; otherwise, any negligence in this regard may result in negative consequences that in no way vindicate any concerned organization and body.
3. BBC report reveals that Mojahedin cannot bear the presence of mass media in the region in contrast to their claims. They are well aware that the disclosure of the truth may be a barrier in the way of their propaganda blitz and psychological warfare. Therefore, the continuous presence of the media in the region may foil Mojahedin’s plans.
4. The fact that a number of Ashraf residents escaped from the camp to join their family may reveal that the organization has kept MKO members inside camp by force. The presence of the concerned international institutions may facilitate the free exodus of the captives. Any delay in this regard may impose irreparable costs on the voluntary split of members and encouraging the leaders to continue with the human tragedy ultimatums.
5. The presence of a number of families before Camp Ashraf, that has emboldened some insiders to the escape and also disclose the true notorious nature of Mojahedin, may emphasize the necessity of the presence of other families to save their children. Undoubtedly, Ashraf officials cannot bear the existing conditions forever. As mentioned before, the first step for the dissolution of Camp Ashraf is by rendering the organization helpless through a striking split therein and this is the best time for breaking cultic relations of MKO to set the members free. The supports of the families may pave he way for releasing their children from the firm clutch of Rajavi.
6. The interaction of the families with the media is of a high significance. It may deprive Rajavi of his lever of fabrication and distortion of the truth as well as trying to win the sympathy of the world by putting the bargaining chip in the hands of the families as it was revealed in the blind and hysteric backlashes of Mojahedin against BBC report. In a nutshell, Rajavi and Ashraf high rankings have reached a stalemate and the persistence of the present conditions may lead to their full destruction in the near future.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/world
/2010/04/100426_l42_ashraf_camp.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J96_IeD2bt0
http://iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7991
.jpg)
(Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, cult leaders)
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136069.htm
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136069.htm
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=5290
http://www.nejatngo.org/en/post.aspx?id=2062
http://iran-interlink.org/fa/?mod=view&id=5281
The second secretary of the American embassy in Baghdad, published a documented report on the crimes committed by the MEK’s leaders who bloodshed their own colleagues, raped the women of Ashraf, poisoned and executed dozens of the defectors.
According to FNA reporter in Baghdad, the second secretary of American embassy in Baghdad, William, revealed the bloody violence of Masud Rajavi, MKO leader, against the dissident members, in the third and forth chapter of the report on the actual situation of Mujahedin.
The American official, who investigated the documents and files on Mujahedin, has been one of the authorities who control Camp Ashraf. The report reads:
Like Malik Farough, the former king of Jordan, Masud Rajavi abuses even his female colleagues.”
In another part of the report you can read:
” Rajavi has expanded sexual relations with the female military, political and administrative ranks of the group. He also ordered the doctors to do hysterectomy surgery on some of them.
He noted that he has watched the films of the confessions of the women.
The second secretary of the American embassy mentioned that Rajavi sent the husbands to the deadly operations so as he can reach the wives and possess them in Napoleon’s way. In the existing documents in Ashraf you find out that some of the deaths in the group were not random but intentionally planned. In his long report William noted three cases of the planned deaths and wrote:
”the confessions of some of group members reveal that Rajavi was involved in 19 cases of death personally ordering the assassination.”
This American authority points out poisoning of the members and writes:
“Rajavi ordered the silent death, poisoning some friends or colleagues.
He added:
Now, it is clear for the US that MEK’s leader was involved in the suspicious death of his colleagues who were killed under his order but their death was reported falsely as the result of sickness or accident.
He continued mentioning that the forces of MEK are disappointed at the present time in Iraq and present no benefit to the US administration in the current Iraqi scene.
In a part of the report he writes:
Most of Mujahedin forces are suffering dangerous mental diseases and are likely to commit suicide or homicide.
Besides the Iraqi security authorities stressed that the Americans investigated some individuals who confessed that the MEK leader was involved in the assassination of Iranians residing abroad and some defectors of the group. To commit the assassinations, MKO enjoyed the assistance of embassies of the Saddam’s regime and his security organizations. 
(Camp Ashraf)
http://iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7870
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2010-03-16a.322053.h&s=ashraf#g322053.r0
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6288
Monday, 20 April 2009
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Iraq: Mujahedin-e Khalq
David Drew (Stroud, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of alleged attacks on residents in Ashraf City by members of the Iraqi secret service; and if he will make a statement.
Bill Rammell (Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Harlow, Labour)
holding answer 20 March 2009
We are aware that such allegations have surfaced in the Iraqi media. We have discussed these allegations with the US, who retain a presence inside Camp Ashraf, and with the Iraqi government. We have seen no evidence to support the allegations.
Written answers
Monday, 20 April 2009
House of Lords
Iran
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Crossbench)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that Camp Ashraf residents who are members of the People's Mujaheddin Organisation of Iran are not expelled to Iran by the Iraqi authorities; and what alternatives to that they have proposed through the United Nations.
Lord Malloch-Brown (Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Labour)
Responsibility for the security and administration of Camp Ashraf was transferred on 1 January 2009 from the US to the Iraqi authorities. Prior to this handover the US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities towards their clear commitment to the humane treatment and continued well-being of the camp residents. The US retains a presence at the camp in an advisory/monitoring capacity.
The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights visits the camp and has delivered assurances to a representative body of the residents. The International Committee of the Red Cross follows developments at the camp closely and continues to visit. It also discusses on a confidential basis all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and the Iraqi and US authorities.
The UN High Commission for Refugees has previously determined that Camp Ashraf residents do not qualify as refugees. While there is no evidence to suggest that the Government of Iraq intend forcibly to relocate the residents, our Embassy in Baghdad has requested a call on the Ministry of Human Rights to make known the level of interest in this issue in the UK and to remind the Iraqi Government of their earlier assurances. Our Embassy in Baghdad is also pursuing the possibility of a visit to the camp by a consular official.
Written answers
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
House of Lords
Iraq
Lord King of West Bromwich (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iraq to safeguard the human rights and safety of Iranian residents in Ashraf City; and with what results.
Lord Malloch-Brown (Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Labour)
The US held responsibility for the security and administration of Camp Ashraf until 1 January 2009. Responsibility was then transferred from the US to Iraqi authorities. The modalities of the transfer had been discussed by both sides with UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. Prior to the transfer, the US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities towards their clear commitment to the humane treatment and continued wellbeing of the camp residents. The US retains a presence at the camp in an advisory/monitoring capacity.
The Government of Iraq have stated that no Camp Ashraf residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution. The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights visits the camp and has delivered assurances to a representative body of the residents. The International Committee of the Red Cross follows developments at the camp closely and continues to visit. It also discusses on a confidential basis all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MeK) and the Iraqi and US authorities.
While no specific representations to the Government of Iraq have been made, our embassy in Baghdad has requested a call on the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights to make known the level of interest in this issue in the UK and to remind the Iraqi Government of its earlier assurances. In addition to this, as stated by my honourable friend, Bill Rammell, Minister of State for the Middle East, during an adjournment debate in Westminster Hall on 25 March 2009 (Hansard, col. 90WH) "the British embassy in Baghdad is pursuing the possibility of a visit by a consular official to Camp Ashraf" to ascertain whether any of its residents might be entitled to consular assistance.
Library of the House of Commons
In brief: Camp Ashraf and the Geneva Conventions
Standard note: SN/IA/05022
Last updated: 20 March 2009
Author: Arabella Thorp
Section: International Affairs and Defence Section
What is Camp Ashraf ?
Ashraf is a settlement in Iraq’s Diyala province, near the border with Iran, which houses the headquarters of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mujahideen-e-Khalq Organisation (MKO). The PMOI is the main body in the coalition of Iranian opposition groups known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and is regarded as a terrorist organisation by a number of states but has now been removed from the UK and EU lists of terrorist organisations. It sided with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, but following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 the PMOI surrendered to US forces and 3,800 PMOI members were disarmed and cantoned in Camp Ashraf. Some 370 have since been voluntarily repatriated to Iran , and in 2004 restrictions and controls were removed. The Iraqi government has stated its intention to close the camp and expel all PMOI personnel from Iraqi territory.
Who is responsible for the inhabitants of Ashraf?
The main responsibility to protect civilians lies with the states that have effective control over them. From 2003 until 31 December 2008 US forces protected Camp Ashraf. Then on 1 January 2009, control passed to the Iraqi Government, under the new US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. Both the US and Iraqi governments have given assurances that, within the framework of Iraqi national legislation, Ashraf residents will be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and with the principle of non-refoulement in particular. The UK considers the issue primarily a US rather than a UK responsibility.
What are the main concerns?
Lliving conditions at Ashraf are not generally a cause for concern, although an explosion damaged Ashraf’s water-supply station in February 2008. The main concern is that its inhabitants would be at risk of torture or other serious human rights violations if they were to be returned involuntarily to Iran. Iraq has reportedly given Ashraf’s inhabitants two options: return to Iran or find a third country for exile. Iraqi officials have however stated that PMOI members would not be forcibly repatriated to Iran and have called upon the international community to offer asylum to Ashraf’s occupants.
People who have left Camp Ashraf voluntarily have reported 'brain-washing', forced indoctrination and rough treatment by the PMOI of those who wanted to leave the camp.
This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required. This information is provided subject to our general terms and conditions which are available online or may be provided on request in hard copy. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing with Members and their staff, but not with the general public.
Do the Geneva Conventions apply?
In July 2004, the PMOI forces in Ashraf were declared by the US to be ‘protected persons’ under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, because they had not been belligerents during the Iraq War. The Fourth Geneva Convention protects civilians who, as the result of an international armed conflict or of occupation, find themselves in the hands of a country of which they are not nationals. It states that in no circumstances shall a protected person be transferred to a country where he or she may have reason to fear persecution for his or her political opinions or religious beliefs.
In the case of occupied territory, the Convention continues to apply for a year after the general close of military operations, and partially thereafter if the occupying power continues to exercise the functions of government. The occupation of Iraq formally ended on 30 June 2004.
What other international law is relevant?
Under the international law principle of non-refoulement, no-one should be deported, expelled or repatriated if there is a real risk that they may be subjected to any kind of ill-treatment, or that they may face persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The US has ratified international conventions embodying this principle (the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture), but Iraq has not. However, non-refoulement is widely recognised as a principle of customary international law that binds all states.
Further reading
Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), 5 March 2009 [available through the Parliamentary Intranet]
Juan-Pedro Schaerer, Iraq: ICRC activities in behalf of Iranian nationals living in Ashraf, 3 December 2008
Zouhair Al Hassani, ‘International humanitarian law and its implementation in Iraq ’, International Review of the Red Cross Vol. 90 No. 869, March 2008
Knut Dörmann and Laurent Colassis, ‘International Humanitarian Law in the Iraq Conflict’, German Yearbook of International Law 47 (2004), 293–342
International Committee of the Red Cross, Protected persons and property and international humanitarian law [viewed 20 March 2009]
Amnesty International, Iraq: No Iranians in need of protection should be sent to Iran against their will, 28 August 2008
Amnesty International, Security agreement puts 16,000 Iraqi detainees at risk of torture, 28 November 2008
Massoud Khodabandeh (former member of PMOI), Camp Ashraf: a test of US-Iraqi relations, 7 April 2008
Iran Interlink, Nejat Society Asks UK to Support Iraqi Government Plans for Camp Ashraf Victims, 11 December 2008
Hon. David Kilgour, J.D., ‘Catastrophe on horizon for Camp Ashraf refugees’, Middle East Times 8 October 2008
House of Lords debate, Iraq: Ashraf City, HL Deb 2 March 2009 cc504-6
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=797http://hrw.org/backgrounder/mena/iran0505/
No Exit
Human Rights Abuses Inside the Mojahedin Khalq Camps 
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7975
http://www.iran-interlink.org 
(Link to the Video file Part one, 100MB)
(Link to the Video file Part two, 100MB)
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7915
www.iran-interlink.org
Link to the video file (200 MB, One hour)
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7882
http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=interpage&sid=99446
In a statement summarised by al-sabaah newspaper, Minister Salim said that the government is dealing with the residents of the camp in Diyala province, members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, in a humane fashion. The absence of any official documents in their files of applications for asylum is an indication of the illegality of their presence in Camp Ashraf. However, between 2003 until the end of 2009, 300 have left the camp of their own free will and returned to their own country.
Minister Salim said that delegations from the Human Rights Ministry visit the camp from time to time to review the conditions of its population in coordination with the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations. In less than a year, 36 people have asked to leave the camp under the direct supervision of the Ministry. They asked to return to Iran without any influence from government bodies and they were brought to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which took responsibility for them.
For decades the MKO have been in this camp and have not been regarded as refugees. Now neither the UNHCR nor the International Organization for Migration deal with them on that basis and refuse to cooperate with them. The Ministry has addressed these organisations formally more than once in order to lend a helping hand to them, but they always affirm in their responses that that the MKO is a military organization and has not demilitarized. They can only deal with them once they leave the camp and claim civilian protection.
Minister Salim explained that the laws and agreements on the protection of populations who seek protection on the grounds of suffering because of armed conflicts or war do not apply to them because they are not in a nation in war or conflict.
Minister Salim indicated that since the beginning of the SOFA with the United States which transferred responsibility for the camp from the Americans to the Iraqis, the legal situation has changed completely for them. In particular after review of the records and papers which exist, officials did not find any requests for asylum or protection or evidence that their presence is in any way legal.
Minister Sailm said that in general it is necessary to deal with them in a spirit of humanity and not to deport them to countries where they may be exposed to harm or torture, asserting that the Iraqi government has committed itself to this principle. She expressed surprise at their refusal to be moved to another location which provides services and care since they have not rented and nor do they own the land they currently occupy.
واشارت في تصريح خصت بـه( الصباح ) الى ان الحكومة تتعامل مع سكان المعسكر الواقع في محافظة ديالى من عناصر منظمة مجاهدي خلق الايرانية بشكل انساني على الرغم من عدم وجود وثائق رسمية ضمن ملفاتهم تحوي طلبات لجوء ما يؤشر عدم قانونية تواجدهم في معسكر اشرف ، مؤكدة تامين اخراج 300 منهم رغبوا بارادتهم الخاصة ترك المعسكر وتوزعوا بين لاجئين وعائدين الى بلادهم منذ عام 2003 لغاية نهاية عام 2009 .
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6789
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG871/
(Camp Ashraf)
(Massoud and Maryam Rajavi the cult leaders)
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6775
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2009/08/04/?ref=homepage&key=t_iraqi_mek_flags
(Massoud Rajavi and Saddam Hussein)
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf