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After the removal of PMOI off EU blacklist no more excuse remains for pressuring Ashraf residents

Shahriar Kia - 2/23/2009

After security pact has signed between the US and Iraq in December 2008 and after protection of Ashraf has transferred from US forces to the Iraqi government at the beginning of 2009, the Iranian regime started a series of new conspiracies against its opposition, members of the PMOI residing in Ashraf in Iraq.

The regime seeks to pursue its goal of closing down Ashraf by taking advantage of the gap while the US administration is being changed.

By closing down Ashraf, the Iranian regime seeks to compensate the big blow it has received due to delisting PMOI from the EU terrorist list by 27 countries; it also wants to have an upper hand in likely negotiations with President Obama's administration.

Since July 2004, and following a 16 month investigation by 9 US agencies on all Ashraf residents, the US government considered dealing with the members of the PMOI in Ashraf an issue different from the terrorist designation of the organization. At the same time, a US senior officials announced that no bases were found for accusing any members of the group. (New York Times July 27, 2004).

On July 2, 2004, in a statement by the commanding General of the MNF-I, the US government confirmed the legal status of Ashraf residents as "protected persons" under the fourth Geneva Convention and informed the ICRC in Geneva about that status; ever since the US forces assumed the responsibility of protection of Ashraf residents until the final disposition of its residents was determined.

To the fact that the Iraqi government has never had a separate terrorist list so far, and since the terrorist list has been a pretext for the mullahs regime for expulsion and extradition of Ashraf residents, after the PMOI was removed from the EU blacklist and seven European courts ruled to delist the PMOI, no further excuses are left to impose pressures or restrictions on the Ashraf residents or to call them terrorists.

Remarks and threats made by Mr. Muwaffaq al-Rubaei for expulsion, extradition, and trial of Ashraf residents especially at a time when he was in Tehran for talks with the mullahs in Iran, only pursues the will and goals of Iranian regime for destroying its democratic opposition and would end only to a humanitarian catastrophe and war crime.

Based on reports received from inside Iran, Tehran has instructed its proxies in the Iraqi government that the most effective policy regarding the PMOI in Ashraf is to exert the highest pressures by all means in order to force them leave Iraq and return to Iran.

The International Committee of Jurists in defense of Ashraf in its letter addressed to the residents of Ashraf on January 28, 2009 emphasized that:"The ICJDA with the help of parliamentary and human rights forums is closely monitoring the situation of Ashraf and is fully prepared to file complaints at international courts or before relevant authorities against anyone violating the rights of Ashraf residents."

In his message to the residents of Ashraf following removal of the PMOI from EU blacklist, Mr. Massoud Rajavi; the leader of Iranian Resistance reiterated:" If Iraq is a country of law and government of law, in a civilized method, the lawyers of either sides must sit together and under a calm and logical atmosphere should advance their discussions based on international norms…

We wish and extremely welcome Iraq to be a country of law and democracy with its sovereignty. However, if the mullahs' regime wants to steel this sovereignty, advances its own policy and infringes the international law, namely to violate of what the international community, the US government, the white house, the US embassy, the EU parliament, and the majority of European countries' parliaments have underscored regarding Ashraf residents rights, then we should resist to the end."

A humanitarian catastrophe in Ashraf accomplished by the Iranian regime can be prevented only by written assurances given by the Iraqi government to every single resident of Ashraf, through continued protection and monitoring of camp Ashraf by the US forces until the Iraqi government provides acceptable lasting guarantees for the security of Ashraf residents.