NCRI – On 153rd day of sit-in strike day, political personalities rose to support the demands of the strikers.
Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former prime minister of Algeria, stated,
“I am once again here among you to cry justice, peace and democracy for the people of Iran. We are together one more time today to express our concerns and serious worries about the situation of our comrades in Ashraf.”
He added, “A month ago, UN High Commissioner for Refugees announced for the first time that the residents of Ashraf have the right to enjoy refugee status. That was great news because it makes any excuse by the Iraqi regime against them illegitimate. The Iraqi government cannot claim that these people do not have defined legal rights.”
“There is therefore peace of mind on the one side. On the other, however, we cannot be completely relaxed as the means and conditions to protect these people are yet to be prepared according to the international accord,” he added.
He concluded that the Secretary of the United Nations and Mrs. Pilay must intervene and prepare the material provisions of such protection so that UNAMI can truly guarantee the safety of the population of Ashraf.
I his speech addressed to sit-in strikers, Dr. Matthew Offord stated,
“For 153 days, your voice regarding Camp Ashraf has been heard here; the world heard that what the government of Iraq is doing in that part of the world is not acceptable and that the performance of the Iraqi regime in that nation is unacceptable.”
“I am therefore happy that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other UN organs have officially recognized the refugee status of the residents of Ashraf and accepted that the 3400 residents of Camp Ashraf must enjoy this status. And you are the ones who actively participated and made this come true. You shall prevail. The road has not come to an end yet but we are progressing and our gathering today is another step in this path,” he concluded. “I appreciate and respect all you have done for the cause. Thank you.”
The speech of Giorio Bornacin, member of Italian Senate, addressed to sit-in strikers,
I am here among you for a particular reason today. I have brought the solidarity message of the head of our group in the Senate on this 153rd day of your sit-in strike for freedom. I have been with you in your struggle since 1999 to defend the tradition of a nation, to defend democracy and freedom and to unite the people so that they never experience the agonies of imprisonment, torture and death and lack of freedom. The majority of Italian Senate has sided with you. The majority of the House of Representatives support you. We believe you are leading a legitimate and rightful battle against a brutal regime that has violated the most basic human rights. We will resume our fight. We will be side by side with you because we believe that freedom will settle everywhere in the universe.
[Camp Ahraf is the place, in the Northern Provice of Diali, in which 3400 members of Modjahedin Khalgh Iran(PMOI/MEK) reside. Nouri-al-Maliki’s armed forces attacked this unarmed camp in January 2009 and April 2011, and killed 47 and wounded hundreds. This attack was condemned by the UN High Commission for Human Rights and UNAMI, and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon demanded an independent and transparent investigation of the event.]