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Iraqi committee prevents Camp Liberty connection to national electricity grid

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On Tuesday, June 23, Sadeq Mohammed Kadhim, a representative of the Governmental Committee tasked to suppress members of the Iranian opposition residing in Camp Liberty, prevented entry of people from an electric company to the camp for signing a contract to connect the camp to the national electricity grid.

This is despite the fact that the representatives of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the police station in the camp had both been informed in advance of the arrival of the electric company staff.

Residents contacted UNAMI monitors and officials to stop this unlawful act and to secure the entry of these people from the company, but this proved useless.

Sadeq Mohammed Kadhim falsely told these people that he had contacted UNAMI and that UNAMI does not recognize them and is uninformed about the matter.

Mohammed Kadhim told the company’s staff that Camp Liberty residents belong to illegal organizations and anyone working with them will be dealt with according to the Anti-Terrorism Law. It is several times now that Sadeq Mohammed Kadhim has prevented entry of people from companies that want to connect Camp Liberty to the national power grid and sends them away from the camp’s gate.

This is a blatant violation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of Iraq and the United Nations on 25 December 2011 that stipulates:

“The Government shall facilitate and allow the residents, at their own expense, to enter into bilateral contract with contractors for provision of life support.”

On 21 April 2012, when just half of the residents had been transferred to Camp Liberty, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General wrote to residents:

“For long term solution to electricity, the Gol will bear the costs for connecting electricity of CH to the national power grid, through the necessary electric wiring inside the camp in the residential areas.”

Three days later, on April 24, he wrote in another letter:

“the government is very keen to do this as soon as possible, first steps have been made”

On 28 May 2012, UNAMI wrote to the residents’ representative that in relation to “Work is underway with the ministry of electricity to connect CH with the National Electricity Network. The location was checked for this purpose”. However, in the past three years this clear commitment has been constantly violated. At present circumstances, given the quite worn out state of camp’s electric generators and the fact that their fuel consumption is several fold, the necessity to connect the camp to the national grid is two-fold.

The Iranian Resistance calls on the U.S. government and the United Nations to act to push aside these hurdles in the connection of the camp to the national power grid which is quite essential for the least daily life support in the camp. Of course, as long as the management of the camp is in the hands of people such as Sadeq Mohammed Kadhim who has actively participated in the massacre of residents and their persecution and the implementation of the siege, one should not expect the least change in the inhuman measures by this management against the residents.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
June 25, 2015