Camp Ashraf
Encyclopedia
Camp Ashraf or Ashraf City is situated northeast of the Iraq
i town of Khalis, about 120 kilometers west of the Iran
ian border and 60 kilometers north of Baghdad
, and is the seat of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
in Iraq. The city of Ashraf was named in commemoration of Ashraf Rajavi, a famous political prisoner at the time of the Shah and who was slain by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps after the Iranian Revolution
. Camp Ashraf is currently an Iranian refugee camp
in Iraq
. On January 1, 2009 its control was formally transferred from the U.S. military to the Iraqi government. The Camp has been attacked several times the last being on April 8, 2011 when Iraqi security forces stormed the camp and killed as many as 31 and wounded 320 residents and also on 17 October 2010 on the eve of Maliki's visit to Tehran.
UN Secretary General in his quarterly report to the Security Council of 14 May 2010 pursuant to Resolution 1883, Ban Ki-moon, stressed the rights of residents of Camp Ashraf, Iraq, for protection against arbitrary displacement in Iraq or forced extradition to Iran.1 In order to better the humanitarian situation in the camp, EUHR Catherine Ashton has appointed Jean De Ruyt, a senior belgian diplomat, to advise on the Eu's response to Camp Ashraf
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/124750.pdf
. This recognition was due to the neutrality and co-operation of the residents of Ashraf, before, during and after the war. The US General and commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Ray Odierno, referred specifically to this positive cooperation from the residents of Camp Ashraf.
The UK government no longer holds the view that residents of Camp Ashraf are "protected people," according to a written reply to a question from an MP
by Ivan Lewis
, Minister of state
at the Foreign Office on November 25, 2009
’s prisons in 1979. Subsequently, she married Massoud Rajavi
. Ashraf Rajavi, together with Mousa Khiabani, the second in command of the MKO, were slain when their residence was attacked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
. From this base, the MEK was equipped with tanks, artillery
and armored personnel carriers that were taken from Iranian troops during major operations by the group beyond Iran-Iraq border.
which has stated that the "residents of Camp Ashraf must not be deported, expelled or repatriated". During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, coalition forces launched air attacks against forces. Mujaheddin commanders negotiated a ceasefire
on April 22, 2003 in which they were initially allowed to keep their military equipment. In June 2003, US forces took control of Camp Ashraf and the MEK was consolidated, all their weapons were secured by military police
and their munitions and caches destroyed. At that time, 4,000 MEK members were identified and screened for past terrorist acts.On the contrary Brian Binley
An appeal to protect Camp Ashraf, a Member of Parliament from the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party in a big gathering asked for protection of Ashraf.
(formerly FOB Spartan, FOB Red Lion and FOB Barbarian). The Forward operating base is where the Coalition forces used to reside. Under pressures from Tehran
, food and fuel rations of Ashraf were terminated; elements affiliated with the regime blew up the water pipelines to Ashraf; and members of the MKO were abducted in Iraq. It is also known that a bus carrying Iraqi laborers to the city of Ashraf was blown up, killing 11. As of Summer of 2010, US Forces no longer maintain a presence at FOB Grizzly after handing over the facility to the Government of Iraq, effectively ending direct US monitoring of Camp Ashraf. Instead, Iraqi police has been stationed inside the camp and the Iraqi army is outside the camp.
. In response, the MKO refused to comply with the decision.
On December 15, 2009,Iraqi government sent a group of its security forces into the camp to urge the residents of the camp to leave the camp. They used loudspeakers and distributed pamphlets calling the residents to join them and leave Ashraf. However, no resident accepted to leave there. Media reporters were present on the scene.
And according to UN News Center exiled camp residents must not be deported.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39403&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=
Meanwhile the Associated Press reported the issue that the UN envoy Ad Melkert bluntly disputed Nouri al-Maliki's claim of their farewell meeting, saying he did not embrace the government's efforts to deport Ashraf residents by the end of 2011.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jSSma5fiGoQrJGqqYdiBsiEaKvIw?docId=0f5167c52e004fd9b6b7bec6f31078e9
Video has surfaced purportedly showing Iraqi forces trying to repeatedly run down residents with vehicles.
Amnesty International in its March 1 report regarding human rights situation in Iraq wrote, "On 28 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, home to about 3,500 Iranian refugees and detained 36 residents. The 36 were subsequently reported to have been tortured, including by being beaten with batons and guns. Several people needed medical treatment for their injuries.'
'The Iraqi government has continued to threaten Iranian refugees living in Camp Ashraf with forcible removal from the camp. On 28 July Iraqi security forces raided and took over the camp, in Diyala Governorate, which houses some 3400 members or supporters of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group."
In its report of 27 April 2010, various aspects of violation of human rights in Iraq entitled as “Iraq, Civilians under Fire”, Amnesty International revealed and condemned violation of Ashraf residents’ rights by Iraqi government on July 28 and 29, 2009.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=civilans+under+fire+amnesty+international&page=1&qsrc=121&dm=all&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Fen%2Flibrary%2Finfo%2FMDE14%2F002%2F2010%2Fen&sg=h3Ee0diNJbV%2BXmfUl1s2%2FTyf0hMqOxG0FK88FGBH1ag%3D&tsp=1272690827634
On December 26, 2010, Iraqi forces made another assault on the residents of the camp injuring dozens and forcing them out of the hospital of the camp.
On January 7, 2011, a number of Iraqi agents hired by Iranian embassy in Baghdad attacked the camp resulting in 176 wounded. Iraqi forces prevented the wounded, 91 of whom were women, to go to the hospital for treatment.Brutal assault on camp Ashraf
On April 8, 2011, Iraqi security forces in bulldozers and Humvees stormed Camp Ashraf. 34 residents were killed and scores wounded in what RFERL called "circumstances that are not clear. MKO says camp residents were killed by Iraqi forces. The Iraqi government, however, says it believes about 30 people were shot dead by guards at the camp." However according to Amnesty International video clips of the April 8 clashes uploaded to YouTube by the MKO "appear to show Iraqi soldiers indiscriminately firing into the crowds and using vehicles to try and run others down." The Iranian dictators, have taken new suppressive measures for espionage against Ashraf residents by installing two tall communication poles south of Camp Ashraf, preparing the grounds for next attacks.
The Central Investigation Court No 4 of the Spanish National Court, in face of impossibility of any investigation into the massacres in Ashraf inside Iraq by a government that itself has ordered these massacres, has taken on this case. In its last writ dated July 11, 2011, the court summoned senior Iraqi officers to appear before the court on October 3, 2011 for war crimes. The Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is also to appear before the court once he leaves his post as premier that gives him immunity from judicial prosecution. Spanish Court writ
On Sept. 28, 2011 the EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton has appointed Ambassador De Ruyt, as an advisor to mull over the fate of thousands of outlawed Ashraf residents facing expulsion from the camp in Iraq, their home for 30 years. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/22555/World/Region/EU-joins-bid-to-help-end-Iraqi-Camp-Ashraf-standof.aspx
In the mean time, Maryam Rajavi, called for the new nominee to visit Ashraf and to demand Iraq drop its bid to close the camp by the end of 2011.
<http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/22555/World/Region/EU-joins-bid-to-help-end-Iraqi-Camp-Ashraf-standof.aspx>
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i town of Khalis, about 120 kilometers west of the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian border and 60 kilometers north of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and is the seat of the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
in Iraq. The city of Ashraf was named in commemoration of Ashraf Rajavi, a famous political prisoner at the time of the Shah and who was slain by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps after the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Camp Ashraf is currently an Iranian refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. On January 1, 2009 its control was formally transferred from the U.S. military to the Iraqi government. The Camp has been attacked several times the last being on April 8, 2011 when Iraqi security forces stormed the camp and killed as many as 31 and wounded 320 residents and also on 17 October 2010 on the eve of Maliki's visit to Tehran.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/124750.pdf
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
Camp Ashraf is the place of Iranian main opposition movement the People's Mojahedin organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Iraq. It was in 1986 that the PMOI came to Iraq. Ashraf residents are protected people under the Geneva ConventionsGeneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
. This recognition was due to the neutrality and co-operation of the residents of Ashraf, before, during and after the war. The US General and commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Ray Odierno, referred specifically to this positive cooperation from the residents of Camp Ashraf.
The UK government no longer holds the view that residents of Camp Ashraf are "protected people," according to a written reply to a question from an MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
by Ivan Lewis
Ivan Lewis
Ivan Lewis is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bury South since 1997. Lewis served in a variety of junior ministerial positions, including as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.-Personal life:Lewis was born to a British Jewish...
, Minister of state
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Foreign Office on November 25, 2009
Ashraf Rajavi
Ashraf Rajavi, who lent her name to the camp, was among the last group of the political prisoners released from the Iranian ShahShah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
’s prisons in 1979. Subsequently, she married Massoud Rajavi
Massoud Rajavi
Massoud Rajavi , is the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the leader of People's Mujahedin of Iran , an opposition organization active inside and outside of Iran. After leaving Iran in 1981, he resided in France and Iraq...
. Ashraf Rajavi, together with Mousa Khiabani, the second in command of the MKO, were slain when their residence was attacked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Under Saddam Hussein
Along with at least six other sites in Iraq, Camp Ashraf was given to the MEK as a headquarters and training site by Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. From this base, the MEK was equipped with tanks, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and armored personnel carriers that were taken from Iranian troops during major operations by the group beyond Iran-Iraq border.
Since 2003
Since 2003, the coalition forces have designated the MEK at Camp Ashraf as protected persons under the Geneva Convention (although as of November 2009 the UK government no longer holds this view) and have protected them against retaliation by the Iraqis and from Iran. They have also received support for their status by the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
which has stated that the "residents of Camp Ashraf must not be deported, expelled or repatriated". During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, coalition forces launched air attacks against forces. Mujaheddin commanders negotiated a ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
on April 22, 2003 in which they were initially allowed to keep their military equipment. In June 2003, US forces took control of Camp Ashraf and the MEK was consolidated, all their weapons were secured by military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
and their munitions and caches destroyed. At that time, 4,000 MEK members were identified and screened for past terrorist acts.On the contrary Brian Binley
Brian Binley
Brian Arthur Roland Binley is a British Conservative politician, and the Member of Parliament for Northampton South.-Early life:...
An appeal to protect Camp Ashraf, a Member of Parliament from the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party in a big gathering asked for protection of Ashraf.
Military presence
Within the boundaries of the camp is Forward Operating Base GrizzlyForward Operating Base Grizzly
FOB Grizzly is a US Army Forward Operating Base located within Camp Ashraf, Iraq. It is near Al Khalis, approximately 20 kilometers west of the Iranian border and 60 kilometers north of Baghdad....
(formerly FOB Spartan, FOB Red Lion and FOB Barbarian). The Forward operating base is where the Coalition forces used to reside. Under pressures from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, food and fuel rations of Ashraf were terminated; elements affiliated with the regime blew up the water pipelines to Ashraf; and members of the MKO were abducted in Iraq. It is also known that a bus carrying Iraqi laborers to the city of Ashraf was blown up, killing 11. As of Summer of 2010, US Forces no longer maintain a presence at FOB Grizzly after handing over the facility to the Government of Iraq, effectively ending direct US monitoring of Camp Ashraf. Instead, Iraqi police has been stationed inside the camp and the Iraqi army is outside the camp.
Transition to Iraqi control
On January 1, 2009 the U.S. officially transferred control of Camp Ashraf to the Iraqi government. According to a press release from U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the U.S. would maintain a military presence at the camp and the Iraqi government would ensure that all residents were treated according to Iraqi law. A State Department spokesman said the Government of Iraq had promised both humane treatment of people at Camp Ashraf and that none would be relocated to a country where they would have "a well-founded fear of persecution".Transfer from Ashraf
On December 10, 2009 the Iraqi government announced plans to move the MEK from Camp Ashraf to a former detention center, Neqrat al-Salman, about 200 miles (120 kilometers) west of BasraBasra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. In response, the MKO refused to comply with the decision.
On December 15, 2009,Iraqi government sent a group of its security forces into the camp to urge the residents of the camp to leave the camp. They used loudspeakers and distributed pamphlets calling the residents to join them and leave Ashraf. However, no resident accepted to leave there. Media reporters were present on the scene.
And according to UN News Center exiled camp residents must not be deported.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39403&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=
Meanwhile the Associated Press reported the issue that the UN envoy Ad Melkert bluntly disputed Nouri al-Maliki's claim of their farewell meeting, saying he did not embrace the government's efforts to deport Ashraf residents by the end of 2011.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jSSma5fiGoQrJGqqYdiBsiEaKvIw?docId=0f5167c52e004fd9b6b7bec6f31078e9
Ashraf attacked by Iraqi Forces
In late July 2009 conflict erupted when Iraqi forces attempted to enter the camp to establish a police station without the consent of the MEK. Accounts of the conflict differed. Residents claimed that Iraqi forces used violence, including gunfire, water cannons and batons, killing eleven people and injuring about 400. Videos taken by Ashraf residents show these scenes. Iraqi authorities denied using violent methods, but said unarmed residents used stones, knives and sharp tools to protect themselves and to fight security forces that tried to enter the camp. Journalists were excluded from the area.Video has surfaced purportedly showing Iraqi forces trying to repeatedly run down residents with vehicles.
Amnesty International in its March 1 report regarding human rights situation in Iraq wrote, "On 28 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, home to about 3,500 Iranian refugees and detained 36 residents. The 36 were subsequently reported to have been tortured, including by being beaten with batons and guns. Several people needed medical treatment for their injuries.'
'The Iraqi government has continued to threaten Iranian refugees living in Camp Ashraf with forcible removal from the camp. On 28 July Iraqi security forces raided and took over the camp, in Diyala Governorate, which houses some 3400 members or supporters of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group."
In its report of 27 April 2010, various aspects of violation of human rights in Iraq entitled as “Iraq, Civilians under Fire”, Amnesty International revealed and condemned violation of Ashraf residents’ rights by Iraqi government on July 28 and 29, 2009.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=civilans+under+fire+amnesty+international&page=1&qsrc=121&dm=all&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Fen%2Flibrary%2Finfo%2FMDE14%2F002%2F2010%2Fen&sg=h3Ee0diNJbV%2BXmfUl1s2%2FTyf0hMqOxG0FK88FGBH1ag%3D&tsp=1272690827634
On December 26, 2010, Iraqi forces made another assault on the residents of the camp injuring dozens and forcing them out of the hospital of the camp.
On January 7, 2011, a number of Iraqi agents hired by Iranian embassy in Baghdad attacked the camp resulting in 176 wounded. Iraqi forces prevented the wounded, 91 of whom were women, to go to the hospital for treatment.Brutal assault on camp Ashraf
On April 8, 2011, Iraqi security forces in bulldozers and Humvees stormed Camp Ashraf. 34 residents were killed and scores wounded in what RFERL called "circumstances that are not clear. MKO says camp residents were killed by Iraqi forces. The Iraqi government, however, says it believes about 30 people were shot dead by guards at the camp." However according to Amnesty International video clips of the April 8 clashes uploaded to YouTube by the MKO "appear to show Iraqi soldiers indiscriminately firing into the crowds and using vehicles to try and run others down." The Iranian dictators, have taken new suppressive measures for espionage against Ashraf residents by installing two tall communication poles south of Camp Ashraf, preparing the grounds for next attacks.
The Central Investigation Court No 4 of the Spanish National Court, in face of impossibility of any investigation into the massacres in Ashraf inside Iraq by a government that itself has ordered these massacres, has taken on this case. In its last writ dated July 11, 2011, the court summoned senior Iraqi officers to appear before the court on October 3, 2011 for war crimes. The Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is also to appear before the court once he leaves his post as premier that gives him immunity from judicial prosecution. Spanish Court writ
On Sept. 28, 2011 the EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton has appointed Ambassador De Ruyt, as an advisor to mull over the fate of thousands of outlawed Ashraf residents facing expulsion from the camp in Iraq, their home for 30 years. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/22555/World/Region/EU-joins-bid-to-help-end-Iraqi-Camp-Ashraf-standof.aspx
In the mean time, Maryam Rajavi, called for the new nominee to visit Ashraf and to demand Iraq drop its bid to close the camp by the end of 2011.
<http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/22555/World/Region/EU-joins-bid-to-help-end-Iraqi-Camp-Ashraf-standof.aspx>
External links
- Bulgarian Unit Deployed at Camp Ashraf in Iraq Turkish Weekly
- Behind the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MeK) Parliament of Australia Library
- Two members of PMOI abducted (Update 1) MNFI
- Two members of MeK abducted MNFI
- Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) Global Security.ORG
- Hunger Strikers Outside the US Embassy in London (The Guardian)