Press Release by: Belgian Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran
Friday 27 December 2013
We are outraged over last night’s missiles attack on Camp Liberty which has killed and wounded many defenseless residents. Some 3000 refugees, members of the main Iranian democratic opposition, PMOI, currently reside in Liberty near Baghdad airport. They used to be in camp Ashraf but were forcibly transferred by Iraqi government to Camp Liberty with prison-like conditions, with a living area of only 0.5 km square and no freedom of movement.
This brutal terrorist attack comes just after the Iraqi prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki returned from Iran where he was told to increase the repression against these dissidents as a condition for Tehran to support his third premiership in April next year.
There have been three other similar lethal attacks on Camp Liberty this year, which makes it clear that Iraq has no intention to honor its promises to protect the residents and is increasing the pressures on the Iranian opposition at the behest of the mullahs.
Last week the Spanish Investigative Court summoned Iraqi National Security adviser for his role in “Crimes against international community” over the killings of these Iranian refugees in Iraq.
We call on our government to condemn Iraq for failing to prevent these systematic killings of UN protected refugees and to refer this case to the UN Security Council.
Our country, like other EU member states, should help the resettlement process of the UNHCR by accepting a number of these political refugees in Belgium to save them from further aggressions and killings by Iraq.
The UN Security Council and European Union must force Iraq to provide minimum security measures for Camp Liberty. These include returning 17500 protective T-Walls and bunkers to the Camp, transferring the residents’ helmets, vests and medical equipment from Ashraf to Liberty, allowing construction of dual layer roof security for the buildings and expanding Liberty’s living area.
Dirk Claes, Mayor & Senator, Leader of CD&V Group in Senate and President of Belgian Committee of Parliamentarians and Mayors for a Democratic Iran Nele Lijnen, President of Equal Rights Committee of Belgian Senate (Open VLD) Gérard Deprez, Ministre d’État, Senator (MR) Karl Vanlouwe, President of Foreign Affairs Committee of Belgian Senate (N-VA) David Clarinval, Mayor & Member of Federal Parliament (MR) Els Demol, Member of Foreign Affairs Committee of Belgian Parliament (N-VA), Peter Van Rompuy, Member of Flemish Parliament (CD&V)