Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, former White House adviser Frances Townsend, and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey flew to Paris last Wednesday to speak in support of the Iranian exiles. A surprise and moving guest speaker, the leader of an entire government in exile recognized by both the UK and EU Parliaments, spoke eloquently about a group that still suffers silently in the middle of the Iraqi desert.In a statement released Saturday, December 18, 2010, from the International Parliamentary Campaign in Defence of Ashraf (IPCDA), Lord Archer, the former UK solicitor general and president of the campaign said, “We aim to highlight the appalling siege of Camp Ashraf where several thousand Iranian dissidents are under persecution in Iraq.”
The IPCDA urges Iraq to lift its siege on the residents and allow the UN and US to take over the protection of those inside. Furthermore, the IPCDA calls on the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) “to set up a permanent representation at Camp Ashraf and take necessary measures to lift all humanitarian restrictions imposed by the Iraqi government.”
The Road to Hell
Iraq has been a turbulent ethnic and religious melting pot for decades. As bad as the regime of Saddam Hussein was, various factions survived side by side, unified only by their hatred and fear of him. Sectarian violence threatens civil war inside the country.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the country has been in a state of turmoil. Ethnic and religious tensions have been on the rise, with Sunnis and Shias pitted against each other. This has led to an increase in violence, with no end in sight.
Iraq’s political situation is “fluid” at best. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was sworn in Tuesday, December 21 for a second term. His government’s legitimacy is daily questioned, since his party did not win last year’s election. He just barely formed a government and remains in control with the help of US protection.
With the troop pullback, Maliki has used the cover and protection of the US government to form unholy alliances, and allowed all sorts of internal mayhem. Most notably, he has quietly allied with radical Iranian cleric and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei for arms and support. Shortly after Camp Ashraf’s handover to the Iraqi government, Iranian intelligence agents entered the country and Ashraf residents were systematically targeted, harassed and denied access to relatives, lawyers, doctors and members of Parliament (MPs).
Since February of this year, Iranian intelligence agents, with the assistance of Iraqi forces, have camped outside Ashraf and have been tormenting the residents day and night, chanting threats and abuse using 140 loudspeakers. Tensions mounted, and in July of 2009, a two-day assault on the camp by Iraqi (and Iranian) security forces left 11 dead, several hundred maimed and hundreds injured. After the attack, residents and supporters around the globe participated in several multiweek-long hunger strikes for improved conditions. This included a hunger strike outside the US Embassy in London.
A Man of Conscience
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale has been a vocal supporter of the PMOI in the UK and EU Parliaments. He said, “Nouri al-Maliki’s government has imposed a cruel, illegal and inhumane siege on the residents of Ashraf.” He began a series of hearings and efforts to bring attention globally to their plight. On 25 November, 2010, members from all parties came together in a meeting to condemn the lack of medical treatment for Camp Ashraf residents.Said Lord Corbett, “The Iraqi government has tried in effect to turn Ashraf into a prison and make life there unbearable for the residents. The Iraqi government have demonstrated that they do not have the will or capability to respect the rights of Ashraf residents. The US government has a responsibility to re-take protection of the residents and the British government as a coalition partner has a responsibility to press for this.”At a hearing in the British Parliament, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and revered figure among Iranian exiles delivered a video message. Mrs. Rajavi, who has been in exile in Paris since 1982, called on Parliamentarians to launch an international campaign to save the lives of cancer sufferers and other patients at Ashraf, Iraq, who are being prevented from traveling to hospitals. The hearing room was filled with Iranian faces speaking, chanting, and applauding her words.
Despite the outrage expressed by the EU Parliament and House of Lords, and the pressure kept on the al-Maliki government, little has been done to address the abuses at Ashraf due to a lack of authority and it not being a priority.
In March of last year, a bipartisan majority of the US House of Representatives made a declaration of support for the humanitarian rights and protection of the residents of Camp Ashraf. At a press conference, Congressman Bob Filner (D-California), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were joined by ten of their colleagues to announce the resolution (H.Res.704). This resolution deplored the violence by Iraqi security forces against the residents of Camp Ashraf, called upon the Iraqi Government to live up to its commitment to the US to ensure the well-being of those living in Camp Ashraf, and called upon the President to take all necessary and appropriate steps to support the commitments of the US to ensure the protection of Camp Ashraf residents.
Given that US and coalition forces have handed power back to Iraq and have little interest in risking further troop losses by expanding deployment back into the country, the lives of 3,400 people are in the balance.
The Humanitarian Crises
“Since the transfer occurred, residents needing medical care have found it extremely difficult to have access to medical treatment in and out of the camp because the camp is surrounded by Iraqi security forces. An Iraqi security committee, responsible for all matters relating to the camp, is now said to be responsible for making decisions regarding medical treatment. The committee members decide who can travel outside the camp for specialist treatment, and they control the influx of supplies into the camp. Moreover, Iraqi security forces are increasingly making life difficult for the residents, including by using loudspeakers to broadcast messages and play loud music at them.
Due to lack of adequate treatment for certain illnesses in the hospital next to the camp, some residents need to seek treatment in specialised hospitals in Baghdad and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. However, Amnesty International has received reports confirming that patients with appointments in hospitals in Baghdad could not attend their appointments because the Iraqi forces apparently refused to allow others to accompany them, including interpreters. Most of the patients at the camp do not speak Arabic as Farsi is their native language and therefore without an interpreter they can not communicate with doctors in Iraq. It is reported that patients who have travelled to other facilities for treatment have returned without a diagnosis or treatment because of the lack of an interpreter. It has also been reported that patients with mobility issues have been barred from travelling due to the lack of wheel chairs or special beds. The Iraqi authorities have refused to provide such equipment.
The delay in treatment has caused serious long-term consequences for many people. It has been reported that Elham Fardipour, a female patient with thyroid cancer, could not receive the treatment she needs in Baghdad because she was not allowed to be accompanied by a nurse or interpreter; consequently, leading her to remain in the camp rather than travel alone to keep her appointment. Her current outlook is unknown but without prompt treatment her cancer is likely to spread. Additionally, about 60 residents are in need of assessment by a cardiologist for diagnosis and treatment of various heart conditions. Several need surgery to prevent or reduce damage caused by heart attacks.
Ill-treatment of patients by the Iraqi forces has also been reported. Soldiers have forcibly removed patients from hospitals or entered patients’ rooms against their will, in some cases verbally harassing them. In one case a soldier allegedly beat a patient who had just had surgery causing him to go into a seizure.”
Last week, Mehdi Fathi, 50, passed away from kidney cancer in Ashraf. According to doctors, his cancer was curable when first discovered, but the five-month delay in allowing him to receive treatment allowed cancer to spread, making it a terminal case.
Lord Archer of the International Peace and Cooperation for the Disabled in Ashraf (IPCDA) has held the Iraqi government responsible for Mr. Fathi’s death. Furthermore, he has stated that there are more than a dozen other cancer patients and at least 97 other medical cases in Ashraf who face similar restrictions on their medical treatment.
The Political Crisis:
Camp Ashraf, situated outside of Iran, has been a source of contention between the current Iranian government and the opposition government in exile. Allegations of a close relationship between Mrs. Rajavi’s government and former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein have been made, with Iranian officials attempting to link them to the gassing of the Kurds in Northern Iraq. The camp was further targeted during the violent campaign and post-election protests of 2009 following the re-election of Iranian President Ahmadinejad. It is believed that Tehran’s encroachment on the camp is an effort to eliminate a major public relations issue and send a warning to other dissidents.
Too, residents live under constant threat because the al-Maliki “government” does not want the responsibility under international law to protect the camp and the NCRI have repeatedly charged that al-Maliki is very cozy with Tehran and sees an opportunity to be rid of an expensive and resource-draining “problem.”
The al-Maliki government has no mandate to govern in Iraq, having failed to win a majority in elections. He is, consequently, eager to win over any and all factions, especially those supporting the Iranian clerics.
We would like to stop a looming humanitarian catastrophe at Ashraf since it is a symbol of resistance against the fascist regime in Iran,” said Lord Corbett. “We support the call by Mrs. Rajavi to put international pressure in order for the siege of Ashraf to come to an end. We have to show that they do not stand alone.”
Added Lord Archer, “This is a major humanitarian disaster in the making.” The camp is under constant pressure and clashes are becoming more regular.
While the Parliamentary Campaign condemns the unlawful siege of Ashraf in the strongest terms, another problem is the glacial pace of the UN response. At a recent Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Mr. Ad Melkert, special representative of the UN secretary general for Iraq, responded to widespread concern amongst European MPs.
“We are monitoring the situation in Camp Ashraf and regularly meet with government representatives in order to help sustain the humanitarian situation there, on the basis of a number of key principles that we remind the Iraqi government time and again that they should adhere to,” he said.
“The people there are suffering serious difficulties. Supplies cannot come in. Medicine does not come in. People who are seriously ill with cancer are not being treated. There is psychological torture with these loudspeakers. Family visits are not allowed. Members of Parliament are not allowed in. If there is another attack there, it would be a massacre.” – Dr. Alejo-Vidal Quadras MEP, VP of the EU Parliament from Spain
“The UN’s status as a protector risks being totally compromised and mocked if nothing is done effectively. In what way does the UN intend to avoid a new Srebrenica or Darfur tragedy with an eventual gross humiliation for the UN itself?” – Mr. Vytautas Landsbergis MEP, former president of Lithuania.
Residents of Camp Ashraf have few options. The best opportunity to maintain the status quo and get medical attention is to stay there under the protection of the UN and coalition forces. Unless there is a regime change in Iran, they cannot go home. Ideally, already stressed neighbors, as well as coalition countries, could be asked to repatriate several of the camp’s residents, but these countries are already suffering under the strain of refugees.
The US delegation is, as usual, late to the game with lots of star power and show. If Rudy and his US roadshow are serious, they need to join the UK and EU Parliamentary efforts and spend less time on window dressing conferences.
The Obama administration must join forces with Congress to ensure that the pressure on Iraq and Iran remains high. This trip to Paris for dinner was simply a nice side trip, but it could also be an opportunity for the former president to repair his image and make tangible progress on his signature issue: terrorism. Finding a humanitarian solution for the 3,400 people trapped in Camp Ashraf is of the utmost importance.
The last campaign came too late for the former president to make a difference, but it is essential that history does not repeat itself this time.
At 2:00 PM local time on Sunday, 26 December, Camp Ashraf was subjected to a violent attack. Twenty-five Humvees and agents from Iran and Iraq, armed with batons, stormed the hospital gates, leaving 25 people injured, some severely. The assault appears to be a retaliatory measure for the conference held in Paris on 22 December and for the international declarations of support for the camp’s residents.
