Camp Ashraf Inhabitants

UN urges EU countries to take Camp Ashraf residents as refugees

Martin Kobler, Special representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq, on Thursday urged the EU Member States to receive the Camp Ashraf’s residents in Iraq as refugees. "My message goes to the governments of EU Member States because the final purpose of the whole exercise to move people from one camp to the other for them to undergo the refugees’ status determination is to bring them abroad, " Kobler told a press conference in Brussels this evening.

"And so far the answer of (EU) Member States to receive the Camp Ashraf’s residents as refugees, once recognised in their host country, was not that enthusiastic. And my appeal goes also to Member States, then at the end once they are refugees, to take them into their countries and to give them a live and freedom and liberty in their countries," he added. Camp Ashraf is a camp of more than 3000 exiled members of the Iranian People’s Mujahedin dissident group , which is located some 60 kilometres north of Baghdad . Camp Ashraf was until 2009 under the control of the US military, but has since been controlled by the Iraqi Government. On 25 December, the Iraqi Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding organising the transfer of the Iranian dissidents to a transit location near Baghdad Airport, Camp Liberty.

It would allow the Iranians to undergo the refugees’ status determination with the assistance of UNHCR. On his part, Hugues Mingarelli, Managing Director for the Middle East and Southern Neighbourhood in the EU, stated that the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton will continue to raise the issue with EU Member States in order to look to possibilities to relocate some of the residents of Camp Ashraf.

Ashton has called on the Iraqi government to refrain from all violence and to fully respect the human rights of the camp’s residents. Ambassador Dan Fried, US Special Advisor for Camp Ashraf told the press conference that people from Camp Ashraf need to be considered individually. "And to make determinations about any specific individual we need to know more about them and such information can be obtained only after they moved to Camp Liberty and participate in the UNHCR status determination process, " he added.

February 4, 2012 0 comment

USA

Open letter to Hillary Clinton on Mojahedin Khalq

Honorable US Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Greetings, Ghafour Fatahian,MKO defected member
Madam Secretary of State, before mentioning anything, I would like to introduce myself. I , Ghafour Fatahian , who spent 20 years of the best years of my life professionally and full time , from age 18, in different pmoi bases in Iraq as a captive in Rajavi’s organization , can assure you according to the best of my knowledge of this organization that Rajavi and his supporters and advocates , have taken our freedom of action utterly from all of us and they have not left any rights whatsoever for anyone ,except the right of being sacrificed for his ominous desires and whims and if someone was thinking against the Rajavi’s whims , he or she was going to be interrogated harshly for hours and even days in collective sessions and the pmoi operatives were putting them under severe harassment till they were going to become remorseful of their request or their thoughts , then they were transferred to solitary confinement cells in different places in Ashraf Garrison and after passing through the procedures , they were handed over to the Abou Ghraib prison in Iraq and we can all understand clearly what would have happened to those people in there!

Madam Secretary

If I want to talk about all those tortures which were exerted upon us , it needs days to explain but for proving my claims I would like to participate in any courts of law to substantiate and prove my words .

As you are well informed about the condition of Ashraf captivity place ,unfortunately few days ago in Paris, Maryam Ghajar Azdanlo accompanied by some hirelings who were brought there by new deceits and tricks and thousands of dollars to say that the Liberty camp is non standard and it is a prison which even does not have any drinking water!

We know that the liberty camp had been constructed by Americans by specific standards to serve the US soldiers and in this regard I would like to mention that Mrs. . Maryam Ghajar Azdanlo is not the representative of anyone in Ashraf to speak on behalf of them. This lady two weeks ago announced that they will not evacuate and leave Ashraf Garrison by no means and they will defend Ashraf till the last drop of their blood, but this lady announced before that 400 people of Ashraf residents are ready to leave Ashraf to go to the Liberty Camp , whereas until now no one has gone to the Liberty Camp yet.

According to the best of my knowledge of this cult , all these tricks and deceptions have been utilized by the leaders of pmoi to deceive the international societies because Rajavi and his supporters and advocates are not willing to leave this notorious garrison even for one day and their real intention is to buy time as much as possible by deception and fraud , because Rajavi does not have more than one objective which is keeping all those stranded captives in that castle and provoking them to fight with Iraqi forces .

As a result of those facts mentioned above, I am urging you to help those stranded captives in Ashraf before is too late and do not allow them to be sacrificed for the Rajavi ominous whims and desires.

Respectfully ,

Ghafour Fatahian, Germany

February 1, 2012 0 comment

Human Rights Abuse in the MEK

Leaders Of MKO Abused our Human Rights in Camp Ashraf

The letter of a group of the freed and human rights activists in France to the honorable Amnesty International in Paris

Honorable director of Amnesty international The letter of a group of the freed and human rights activists in France to the honorable Amnesty International in Paris

We are a group of freed and liberated people from Rajavi’s cult who are currently living in Paris, we would like to draw your attention to the facts which we experienced them bitterly during our stay in this cult;

1. The pmoi( People’s Mujahedin Organization ) has been recognized as a terrorist organization throughout the world and from the day one of their foundation , they established their strategy and policy on violence , terror , and mass killings and they have perpetrated many violent and terrorist crimes against Iranian people.

2. By having the knowledge of this fact that pmoi has been the first organization which has begotten and expanded suicide missions in the middle east and currently they are following it with more progressive methods than before.

3. By confirmation of this fact that the security and the well being of the separated members of this cult throughout the world has been threatened consecutively by the Rajavi’s terrorist cult and these separated members have confronted with variety of dangers and also inside the Ashraf castle , the leaders and operatives of this organization have created and established the same terror and slow death for their captives and dissidents in there.

4. By having the knowledge of this fact that the pmoi has been listed and categorized as a foreign terrorist organization in the US state department terrorist list since 1997 and they have remained in that terrorist list since then.

5. By having the knowledge of this fact that many of those stranded captives do not want to stay under the tyrant domination of Rajavi , but Rajavi does not allow them to leave the organization and nobody has been informed and heard that what has happened exactly against the dissidents inside the Rajavi’s prisons and because of that the cult leaders have been carrying out any possible harassment comfortably against the dissidents inside Ashraf.

You should be also informed of the following facts ;

1. The people residing in Ashraf camp do not have any authorization to communicate with each other freely by no means.

2. The dissidents should not leave their designated perimeter .

3. Every night , the dissidents should face the brainwashing and indoctrination sessions which is accompanied by swearing , curse and insult.

4. The residents of Ashraf camp are not allowed to meet and visit their family and their loved ones.

5. The people who show their willingness to leave the organization , they will be facing harsh punishment in collective sessions such as swearing , curse , insult , beat up and incarceration to pipe down and change their minds .

6. The residents of Ashraf camp who are living in the Ashraf concentration camp, consecutively have been forced to watch and listen to the Rajavi’s audios and videos and Organizational Anthems as well as the fake and false movie clips about the freed and separated members and their connection with Iranian government to insult them and terrorize the dissidents of their future decisions .

Honorable director of the Amnesty international

Now with all these facts which mentioned above , you should judge that under those fatal and slow death and horrifying and scary circumstances , is it true that all humanitarian organizations specifically your honorable Amnesty international are the only one who are able and capable of helping those stranded captives?

By hoping for the best that you pay enough attention to the captives’ voice and their painful and agonizing condition .

The former members of pmoi

Saeed Naseri
Mahmoud Sepahi
Ghafour Fatahian
Homayoun Kahzadi
Alireza Nasrollahi

January 25, 2012 0 comment

Mujahedin-e-khalq Organization Members

750 Mojahedin Khalq members ask to return to Iran

Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaifar says nearly 750 members of the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) have expressed readiness to return to Iran.

A file photo shows a member of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO)
holding his weapon as he stands guard near the terrorist group’s
base in Camp Ashraf in northern Iraq.

Danaifar had earlier announced that Iran had pardoned all the residents of the Camp Ashraf except for less than 100 individuals who have criminal records.

The Iranian ambassador said on Sunday that Iran would not grant amnesty to the ringleaders of the terrorist group, adding that “those whose hands are not stained with the blood of Iranian citizens will be pardoned.”

Danaifar noted that during UN envoy’s visit to Camp Ashraf, the majority of the group expressed willingness to return to Iran in Iraq; however, the MKO leaders do not allow them to leave the camp and they have “somehow taken those members as hostages.”

The MKO, which has carried out numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and government officials, fled to Iraq in 1986, where it enjoyed the support of Iraq’s executed dictator Saddam Hussein and set up the camp in Diyala Province, near the Iranian border.

The terrorist group is also known to have collaborated with Saddam in the bloody repression of the 1991 Shia Muslims in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in the country’s north.

Iran has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to expel the group, but the US has blocked the expulsion by mounting pressure on the Iraqi government.

January 23, 2012 0 comment

MEK Camp Ashraf

Camp Ashraf Relocation Woes

Camp Ashraf is finally coming to an end. It has served as home for the past twenty-five years for over three thousand members of the terrorist cult, the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK). United Nations Assistance Mission representative, Ambassador Martin Kobler as well as the Camp Ashraf Relocation Woes Iraqi government officially signed the Memorandum of Understanding, which is, in essence, an evacuation notice. [1]

Iraq has agreed to a UN hosted mediation that the camp is to close within six months, which is beyond the previous deadline of December 31st 2011. Leaders of the Ashraf wanted to remain at the camp and avoid resettlement, but were unable to permanently obtain their request. What they got was a delay. [2]

Following the mediation, four hundred residents of Ashraf reluctantly agreed to resettle after seeking guidance from the Paris-based cult leader, Maryam Rajavi. They will relocate to Camp Liberty, a former American military base near Baghdad International Airport. Rajavi called this decision as “a sign of goodwill” but she made no mention of when the other residents would go. [3]

In Washington DC a special briefing by Ambassador Daniel Freid took place on December 29th 2011. Freid remarked that “the residents of Camp Ashraf will be moved from Camp Ashraf to former Camp Liberty, which used to be a U.S. military facility and is located near the Baghdad Airport. UNHCR is – will begin immediately to process these people for refugee status. At the same time, those wishing to return voluntarily to Iran as, by the way , several hundred from Ashraf have already done, will be able to do so.” [4]

Due to concerns over the possibility of group pressure on the individuals in Camp Ashraf, Ambassador Fried was asked whether the interview process is private and without an MKO superior watching. He replied, “I would say that the UN and other international organizations are well aware of the potential problems of group think or group pressure, and they are very well aware of the many reports about the atmosphere at Camp Ashraf and the character of that place.” [5]

The signed agreement seems to have provided the opportunity for Ashraf residents to release themselves from a three-decade long imprisonment in a cult of personality around the husband and wife co-leaders, Maryam and Massoud Rajavi. As Camp Ashraf is dissolved, it gives hostages of the cult an opportunity to break away from the group and return to their families.

Daniel Larison of theamericanconservative.com suggests that Rajavi leadership is keeping some members in the camp to use as a bargaining chip in their effort to manipulate American opinion. Basically the Rajavi’s are lobbying the US government to change the official status of the Mojahedin Khalq—from a terrorist designated organization to a regular organization. According to the US State Department , currently their official status remains a “terrorist organization.” [6]

The MKO’s well-documented lobbying and propaganda blitz sets in motion a one-sided uproar about the “humanitarian crisis” at Camp Ashraf. Paid advocates of the MKO expect the US administration to delist the group and “regularly exploit the misinformation of the inhabitants of Camp Ashraf, wrap themselves in the mantle of humanitarianism and confuse the very different issue of the inhabitants’ safe departure from Iraq and the status of the MEK.” [7]

As Ashraf comes to dissolve, non-cult relatives of cult members, and many in the international community fear there is a risk of mass suicide—death and martyrdom have been an integral part of the cult’s ideology. Maryam Rajavi responded to this concern by announcing in her so-called "sign of goodwill” that 400 of the 3200 residents of the camp are ready to move.
What is daunting is that despite the move of 400 residents, very few, if any members of the cult have stepped out of the camp for years. Maryam Rajavi on the other hand lives a luxurious and free life in France (Massoud, her co-leader husband is not so lucky, as he has been in hiding or disappeared since the arrest, and subsequent release by French police of Maryam, in 2003.

Scott Peterson of The Christian Science Monitor suggests that “with the complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq this week, options for the MEK have narrowed." [8]
Furthermore, according to Joby Warrick of The Washington Post, "US and UN officials have been scrambling to resolve the fate of the estimated 3400 residents of Camp Ashraf, but officials say the MEK and its backers have complicated matters by insisting on US protection.” [9]

Warrick reports from State Department talks that “the possibility that American troops would be ordered back into Iraq to guard the dissidents is remote, at best.” On the condition of anonymity, Warrick reports that an official in the State Department flat out said, “It’s not going to happen" [10]

Larison optimistically views residents’ relocation a “good outcome” but not for “the group leadership and its friends in the west.”[11] Once Ashraf residents are resettled at Camp Liberty, they can apply for immigration to third countries under UN observation. Strategically, Camp Ashraf was in a geographical position near the Iranian border, and it enabled Ashraf leaders to take advantage of the location—sending Western sponsored spies into Iran from the camp.

By Mazda Parsi

References:
[1]BBC, Iraq and UN sign Iranian Camp Ashraf exile deal, December 26, 2011
[2] Reuters, Iraq extends deadline for closing Iranian Camp, December 21, 2011
[3]Charton Angela, Iranian exiles ready to leave Iraq Camp, Associated Press, December20, 2011
[4]US department of State, Briefing on the situation at camp Ashraf, December 29, 2011
[5]ibid
[6]Larison, Daniel, Camp Ashraf deal undermines Western pro-MEK advocacy, The American Conservative, December 26, 2011
[7] ibid
[8]Peterson, Scott, with deadline looming to close MEK’s Camp Ashraf in Iraq, what next? Christian Science Monitor, December 20, 2011
[9]Warrick Joby, Iraq agrees to UN-brokered deal on fate of Iranian exiles, The Washington Post, December 25, 2011
[10]ibid
[11]Larison, Daniel Camp Ashraf undermined Western pro-MEK advocacy, The American Conservative, December 26, 2011

January 16, 2012 0 comment

Human Rights Abuse in the MEK

Soltani: MKO trying to keep the captives as long as possible

Open letter of Mrs. Soltani to the international pro-human rights institutions and organizations

I got informed that 3000 captives ,who have been deprived of any right to have access to the Open letter of Mrs. Soltani to the international pro-human rights institutions and organizations internet , free world as well as society , family and the free Press , finally are going to be transferred and displaced from this garrison( Ashraf).

May be this will be a way out for them from the organizational dead end and I ,as the former member of the pmoi commanding council ,am truly sorry that I see this organization is trying its best to force and compel its tyrant domination over international society according to their 30 years of experience of keeping people as captives in Iraq , in this regard I would like to draw attention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees( UNHCR), the Iraqi government as well as the French government to the following topics:

1. The people’s Mujahedin Organization is trying its best to buy time by all means to keep those people in captivity as much as possible consequently I condemn any extra time giving to this cult because the leadership of this cult had enough time (eight years )to find safe places and residency for their members and during those eight years they could easily send those stranded members to the safe places but instead we can see clearly that the only thing which the pmoi leadership did after the downfall of Saddam Hussein, was beating on the drums of scuffle and violence and preserving their organization and taking advantage of those captives in Ashraf and this situation has been continuing up to now. The trap which the pmoi leadership has enough experience about it specially in dealing with American forces ,who besieged the garrison(Ashraf) , they could preserve their tyrant organization and during these years they have been continuing the brainwashing of their members as well as keeping them as captives and continuing bloody scuffles with Iraqi forces.
I am urging you not to fall into the same trap which this organization has created for the Iraqi government as well as the UNHCR to keep those stranded members in captivity as much as possible. I am urging you to help those stranded members ,who have been under severe brainwashing methods for years, by interviewing them individually. Their families have been under severe insults , abusive behaviors, and accusations by the pmoi operatives. These stranded members should be under supervision of their families or other humanitarian organizations to be treated from all those psychological and physical pressures.

2. During their stay in the new camp, I am urging you to deal with them like other refugees who have been living in your refugee camps throughout the world, and do not allow the pmoi leadership to take their control and continue brainwashing them like before and like the time which American forces were in charge of the camp , the pmoi leadership did not allow any families and others to enter and visit their loved ones and by this method, the pmoi leadership could preserve its horrifying organization . I am urging you to beget the conditions for those stranded members to have access to the internet, telephone, television , The Press, and The Post . Those members have been deprived of all those things for years and the only people who were allowed to have access to all those , were the commanders and high ranking members of this organization to have their communications with the headquarter of Maryam Rajavi in France to receive violent orders for using them against those members.
You should not allow the pmoi leadership to speak on the behalf of all those members again and they deprive those members of having access to the international institutions and humanitarian organizations and do not allow them to stablish their former organizational hierarchy again and do not allow them to continue their brainwashing and thought detection sessions so called Amaliyateh Jari( current mission) again to put more psychological pressure on the body and soul of all those members. In those sessions which are directly ordered by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi , the stranded members have been under severe psychological pressures which destroy their personality and trample their prestige and at the end of those sessions ,those members become as aimless and without will slaves in the hands of the pmoi leadership.

3. The humane rights of all those members inside the camp such as the right of marriage, the right of meeting and visiting their wife or husband and children should be officially recognized , and they should be allowed to have visitation with their loved ones outside of the camp as well without any interference of the pmoi operatives and leadership. The exerted forcible divorces should all be revoked and the divorced families should have the right to be reunited again. These people have not had any news about their families , friends and the outside world for years. First of all their health news should be given to the families urgently by the international institutions like the Red Cross , second of all they should have access to the telephone and mail to get in touch with their families as well ,and third of all they should be allowed to have regular meetings and visitations with their families and beloved ones without the interference of the pmoi operatives and leadership.

4. As far as I know this cult and its leadership , I am completely sure that they will disrupt the United Nations program and its plan by having requests which does not have any similarity with the refugee criteria and standards and regulations which exist in UN and I warn you not to accept the pmoi leadership requests and instead you should carry out and implement your plan to free all those captives and hostages as soon as possible. You should not accept by no means that the pmoi leadership choose a representative or spokesman to speak on the behalf of all those members. The UN should be fully responsible for any displacement of the members and pmoi leadership should not interfere in this matter by giving UN the list of names with organizational hierarchy who want to be displaced to beget their organizational domination in the new camp once more . Any UNHCR retreat from these facts mentioned above will revive the pmoi leadership objectives which will beget unlawful and illogical requests to kill time and creating more obstacles and hurdles on the refugee path of all those members. For instance I can mention one of Maryam Rajavi’s recent requests that ¨the people who wants to be displaced to the new camp , they should transfer their vehicles to the new camp as well!¨ These kind of requests show that the pmoi leadership do not think about solving the problems of their members and their refugee cases and the only thing which they think about is relocating Ashraf camp as a whole to the new camp and create another Ashraf in there! First of all everybody knows that the real owner of those vehicles is Iraqi government ,second of all residing in other camp as refugee seekers which is under direct supervision of UNHCR, it is no need to have military cars and vehicles in there……….
For this reason the Iraqi officials should reiterate to them once more that the people who are going to be displaced from Ashraf to the new camp should take only their personal stuffs with them ,and these kind of requests from pmoi leadership shows their intention of putting obstacles and hurdles on the UN path and its plan.

5. As it is Chrystal clear that after the dead end of the pmoi strategy and its failure in Iraq , the pmoi leadership and its horrifying organization has concentrated and focused its activities in United States ,Europe , and specially in France and in this regard the Mayors of different cities in France such as Auvers sur Oise , Villepinte, Paris , Taverny , and some of the former members of the French assembly and the deans of the French universities have been under pmoi propaganda bombardment . I warn all French politicians about the pmoi headquarter in Auvers sur oise which is a very good place for both Massoud and Maryam Rajavi to continue their cultic life in there.

Respectfully ,
Batul Soltani

Transcript

the Iraqi prime minister office
the French state department
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

January 12, 2012 0 comment

Open Letter from Sahar Family Foundation to Martin Kobler

Sahar Family Foundation has written a letter to the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr Martin Kobler, regarding the latest developments at the base of the Rajavi cult in Iraq.

The text of the letter is below:

United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)
Mr. Martin Kobler,

With kind respects and best wishes for your task regarding the issue of the inhabitants of Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf garrison), we would like to inform you of the following:

According to information gained from inside Ashraf garrison, Massoud Rajavi arranged a video conference with Ashraf inhabitants towards the end of September 2011. Participation in this session was mandatory for all cult members residing in Ashraf. In this conference, which lasted for 8 continuous hours, Rajavi tried to prepare his followers for the possible UN interviews beforehand.

He directly threatened members of his cult that during interviews they should not say or write anything but their names and the period they have been in Ashraf garrison, and should not mention anything about wishing to leave the base of the cult since this would produce severe consequences for them.

In his lengthy speech, Rajavi tried to frighten people against any and every possible UN action and emphasized that they would gain no benefit from the UN interviews and the UN intervention and it could even harm them. He told them that if they do anything except what he has asked them to do they would be arrested and handed over to the Iranian regime where they would be tortured and executed.

During his speech, Rajavi said that the Iraqi government, the EU, the UN, the ICRC and any other agency cannot make any decisions and the US is the only agency that makes all the decisions. In this respect he tried to give hope to his followers that with the US administration’s approval, the conditions that the organization used to enjoy under Saddam Hussein would be reinstated.

The information received from Ashraf garrison also indicates that all members have been put on a state of alert against the Iraqi forces and specific plans have been made in this regard. These plans are mainly defensive but some plans for ambushing the Iraqi forces and disarming them have also been made. The members are told that after disarming the Iraqi forces they should hand over the captured weapons to their superiors and wait to be told what to do next. It should be mentioned that during the April clash with the Iraqi forces some weapons were seized from Iraqi soldiers which are still being held by the Rajavi cult.

There has also been news that the leaders of the cult are actively seeking another clash with the Iraqi forces in order to eliminate some of their discontented members as they did in previous cases. This has been done several times in the MeK cult before. During the invasion of Iraq by allied forces in 2003, the leaders of the Rajavi cult murdered some of those who wanted to leave and later announced that they had been killed during the bombardments. In the following years as more dissidents fled Ashraf garrison it was revealed that of the over 50 persons that the MeK claimed were killed as the result of the bombardments, a maximum number of 5 had actually been killed in this way and the rest were eliminated by the cult itself.

What we would specifically like to draw your attention to is that inside Ashraf garrison the brainwashing sessions called “current operations” are proceeding with intensity. The reason for these delays and time-killing by the leaders of the cult and preventing the UN from carrying out its tasks is that they want to identify those who are potential deserters and also to mentally prepare their members for the interviews.

We therefore on behalf of the suffering families, who are the only right representatives of the inhabitants of the garrison and are truly following their best interests, urge you to adopt the following means.

– Arrange for the hundreds of families of members, who have been picketing outside the garrison for nearly two years and merely request to visit their loved ones which the leaders of the cult have denied, to visit the inhabitants during the transfer and interview process.

– Make sure that such meetings are carried out without the presence of the MeK officials. It is necessary for the International Red Cross and preferably the next of kin of interviewees to be present in order to gain the rapport and trust of the asylum seekers.

– Pass adequate information about their actual situation to these people since they have been away from the real world for many years and have no clue whatsoever about the circumstances outside the cult. Their only source of knowledge has been the cult leaders, so they must be well informed beforehand.

As before, Sahar Family Foundation declares its readiness for all possible cooperation. We would like to share all our resources in any appropriate way with the international organizations in order to reach a quick and peaceful solution for the dilemma of Ashraf garrison.

Sahar Family Foundation
Baghdad, 3 January 2012

Copy to:
Mr. Daniel Fried, U.S. Special Adviser on Camp Ashraf
Mr. Jean de-Ruyt, EU foreign policy adviser on Camp Ashraf

January 5, 2012 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization

MKO status from the perspective of International Law

Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes a right to enjoy asylum as a fundamental right of human beings, which is a limited right (comes with exceptions), because the second paragraph of Article 14 limits the right to asylum by stipulating that "this right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations."

The position of the International Law towards the refuge and refugees has changed from the very beginning of the UN foundation in 1945, after the end of the Second World War, with regard to the changes and developments of the international community.

One year after the foundation of United Nations, on December 1946, the General Assembly passed a resolution to establish “International Refugee Organization”. It was a temporary organization of the United Nations (UN), which itself had been founded in 1945, with a mandate to repatriate or resettle European refugees to their homeland. Those who had been immigrated or moved to other countries due to the outcomes of the war. International Refugee Organization (IRO) was dissolved in 1952 after resettling these individuals (about one million refugees).

Although human beings have been relieved of WWII, its consequences and postwar tribulations were being gradually appearing. Economic, political, and social conditions of most of the countries where such that a significant proportion of individuals who have been repatriated to their homeland by International Refugee Organization preferred to seek refuge in the countries other than their own. Therefore, on 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Article 14 of which is about the right to seek and enjoy asylum:

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

After the dissolution of International Refugee Organization in 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established to address the new problems.

Subsequently, in 1951, Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and in 1967, its Additional Protocol was approved by the United Nations. Also in 1967, the General Assembly approved the Declaration on Territorial Asylum.

As mentioned previously, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes a right to enjoy asylum as a fundamental right of human beings. This is a limited right (comes with exceptions), because the second paragraph of Article 14 limits the right to asylum.

Article 14(2) refers to “the purposes and principles of the United Nations” which are mentioned in the Charter of the United Nations paragraph 1 of Article 1, and the most important of which is “to maintain international peace and security”. It is of great importance that one of the chapters of the Charter (Chapter VII: Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace and Acts of Aggression) guarantees maintenance of international peace and security.

So we can say that the importance of maintenance of peace and international security is among the major priorities of the United Nations and the rest of its duties have to be implemented in a way that it does not being threatened.

With the resolution of the economic, political, and social crisis, above all lack of employment, the European and American countries gradually narrowed refugee admission, even though the number of asylum seekers soared.

The reaction of the countries was tightening rules on accepting refugees, e.g., coining the new term of ‘asylum seeker’ instead of ‘refugee’. To be brief, asylum seeker is a person who is seeking protection as a refugee and his/her refugee status has not yet been determined by the host country.

The most important issue and problem of the above definition from a legal perspective is that the right to asylum is an individual right; interpretation, expansion, or restriction of which has to be done along the lines of protecting the individual rights.

The term “Asylum seeker” as opposed to “refugee” actually restricts the people to fully enjoy a right as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So, separating asylum seekers and refugees explicitly violates the Article 14, Article 1 (equality), and Article 2 (non-discrimination) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

To solve the problem it is said that:

Although the right to asylum is an international right and is internationally confirmed, the practical identification and definition of that should be established separately by each country and with regard to the location and facilities of each of them.
Implementation of an individual/private right should not prevent that of public rights (the right to security, sovereignty, etc.). In a nutshell, private rights yield to public rights (Privatum commodum publico cedit).

As mentioned, since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not describe the right to asylum as an absolute one, the right to asylum should not preclude states from exercising sovereignty. As a result, governments with regard to their sovereignty and facilities have the right to accept asylum seekers or deny them.

At the present time, those governments which have a good reputation in accepting refugees have tightened rules and regulations, as compared to the past. In addition, they inform the UNHCR of the maximum number of refugees could be admitted by them, and they rarely accept more than the stated number. The discussion for legal grounds for such an action will be discussed in the second part of the article.

The current status and UNHCR’s approaches

As it is understood from the official documents of the organization known as Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/MKO) and its front organizations such as NCRI, residents of the Organization’s camps, which gathered in Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf) when they surrendered camps to the US forces, had various motives for staying in MKO camps in Iraqi soil. Diversity of people and motives is too much. (page 19)

For example, National Council Magazine pages 17-56 (titled: ‘Mujahedin Prison’) Addendum 20 and 21 June and July 1986, which is written “Armed resistance: a report from behind the front lines, Manouchehr Hezarkhani” on the front cover. The author describes a visit to one the Organization’s camps.

The author claims that one of the camps of MKO in Iraqi Kurdistan “covers an area of 28000 square meters.” In addition to other sectors in the camp there are two additionally, quarantine and reception sections, which those who for whatever reason are willing to cooperate with MKO have to pass these two stages.

The author quotes the head of the camp as saying that the individuals are divided into seven groups:

Supporters who were away for a while.
Iranian soldiers fleeing the battlefront
The escapees whose final destination was Europe, but they have failed to fulfill their goals.
Affiliates of other opposition groups with urgent conditions (neither agree with their organizations nor with ours.)
Iranian fugitives from refugee camps in Iraq.
People who approach the camp due to their economic problems.
Recruits of the Organization “who do not tolerate our discipline, or do not agree with our political line or ideology.”(page 19)
MKO has had extensive and systematic efforts within the Iranian prisoner-of-war camps in Iraq, according to documents and Iranian POWs. We should add at least another item to the above list.

Residents of one of the foreign countries who have joined the MKO camps in Iraq on account of opposition to the government of Iran (ninth group).

Considering all the previously mentioned aspects, we should say that:

Firstly, if the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) duly interviews the members of the MKO in the camp one by one, should consider this classification.

Secondly, Iranian government claims to have documents and evidences revealing that some of the MKO members in Camp New Iraq are being prosecuted for non-political crimes. As mentioned in the very beginning of the article, such individuals do not have the right to enjoy refugee, relying on Article 14(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Thirdly, some of the MKO members have committed war crimes, especially breach of peace and security during the Iran-Iraq war, 1980-88. The MKO operation Foroughe Javidan (Eternal Light) against Iran is one of the most obvious breaches of International peace and security.

It seems to take so long for UNHCR to simply follow the mentioned classification, and it’s unlikely to succeed. Thus, the best option for UNHCR to expedite refugee status determination of MKO members in Iraq is to divide them into two groups:

Those who participated in the operations which breached the International peace and security.
Those who did not involve in such operations.
If the UNHCR admits the refugee of each of these individuals without considering their records and introduces them to one of the countries which accept refugees, then they commit some crimes against rules and regulations of the host country (such as self-immolation, spying against the host country, money laundering, organized crimes, etc.) the refugee processing system of UNHCR will be questioned. Moreover, it may even be charged with supporting those who have breached international peace and security.

January 5, 2012 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

The achievements of two years of families picketing

As you know, an agreement has been struck between UNAMI, the Iraqi Government and the leaders of the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation according to which the camp should be evacuated by the end of year 2011.

Also, according to this agreement the deportation of Mojahedin Khalq will be delayed by another 6 months in which time the UNHCR would be able to register the residents and carry out individual interviews in preparation to transfer them to other countries.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding, an initial 400 of the residents of Camp Ashraf are to be transferred to the former American Camp Liberty adjacent to Baghdad Airport, but to this day, 30th December 2011, the leaders of the Rajavi cult have rejected the planned transfer by bringing all sorts of reasons and excuses, clearly against the agreements accepted by the other two parties involved (UNAMI and the GOI).

Today it is clear to everyone that the leaders of the Rajavi cult like all similar cults anywhere in the world which use destructive mind control methods do not see themselves bound by their words or their signatures. It is now clear that they are more than anything else afraid that their forces (hostages) would run away during this transfer. Sooner or later, Rajavi will have to give up Ashraf garrison – which is situated on land illegally and forcefully confiscated by his benefactor Saddam Hussein where he built a military base which he later gifted to the Mojahedin Khalq. Sooner or later he will have to face the fact that the members will be deported from Iraq.

It is worth mentioning the continuous hard work of the families of the people trapped inside the camp who have stayed by the camp for the last two years and demanded their human rights from their base, which they call Freedom City, built adjacent to Camp Ashraf. They exposed the lies of Rajavi and they proved that the leader of the Mojahedin Khalq cult has no respect whatsoever for the people and the loved ones taken hostage inside the camp.

it is the fathers, mothers, children and spouses of the trapped people who represent the best interest of the hostages

It is now clear to everyone that it is the fathers, mothers, children and spouses of the trapped people who represent the best interest of the hostages and not the leaders of the cult.

The agreement between all parties to sort out the problem of Camp Ashraf could not have been achieved without the hard work and the suffering of these families, especially during the last two years. They have worked flat out for the last two years in Freedom City, adjacent to Camp Ashraf for two years and intend to do so for as long as it takes. It is clear that even after the transfer of Rajavi’s hostages to a new location, the families will not rest until they achieve their minimum demand of private visits with their loved ones. The hope of reaching this goal is now greater and nearer than ever and the number of families is continually increasing in number. They have all decided to finish the quest that began two years ago and to not give up until they have achieved their simple humanitarian demand of ‘Right of Visits’ with their captured relatives.

SFF on behalf of the picketing families would like to extend its appreciation to all the survivors and ex-members, as well as human rights activists in Iraq, Iran and other countries who have been aiding and supporting the families and helping their voices be heard in the world.

With the hope that one day soon the goal of the freedom of every one of our loved ones takes the tiredness of all these years off our bodies.

translated by Iran Interlink

January 3, 2012 0 comment

Maryam Rajavi

Rajavi representes no one

After months of excruciatingly nit picking and slow negotiations to finally reach an agreement to peacefully and securely move the residents of Camp Ashraf to another safe facility in which their individual claims for refugee status and relocation can be worked out, Rajavi has (inevitably) come up with yet more excuses and stalling tactics to prevent any movement of residents from the camp.

Rajavi has been sidelined because neither she nor her husband, MEK leader Massoud Rajavi, actually represent the interests of the residents and are only interested in maintaining their cultist control over the camp’s residents. Moving the residents is the first step to these individuals regaining their rightful freedoms.

Because of this Rajavi is still trying to delay the inevitable by creating all kinds of outlandish excuses.[..]

January 3, 2012 0 comment

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