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Iranian exiles hold protests calling on Iraqi government to end Camp Ashraf siege

 NCRI – Iranian exiles in Britain, Switzerland, and Canada staged protests on Monday to denounce the intensification of a siege on Ashraf City, where nearly 3,400 members of the main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), are located. They demanded assurances for the residents’ protection and legal and humanitarian rights in accordance with international conventions.

In Britain, relatives of Ashraf residents and other Iranians continued with their 119th day of protests in front of the Iraqi embassy in London. They blamed the stepped up siege against Ashraf on orders coming from the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who in February officially asked the Iraqi President to close down Ashraf.

A Muslim cleric from Lebanon spoke at the London rally saying, “Today, the issue of Ashraf really comes down to every Muslim’s dignity. The clerical rulers in Iran and their proxies have no relation to Islam despite their empty rhetoric. They do not acknowledge the principles of freedom and human dignity, both pillars of the religion of Islam. The objective of their references to God and the Prophet relies solely on their goal of fulfilling their worldly desires.”

He referred to the ruling mullahs in Iran and said, “It is amazing that they have immersed themselves so much in power that they have even lost their sight and hearing. They have not learned from the experience of the Shah, [whose overthrow] incidentally took place in the lifetime of these criminals and deceivers.”

Supporters of the Iranian Resistance also protested in Geneva, Switzerland, and demanded action by the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Committee of the Red Cross for the guaranteeing of Ashraf residents’ rights and protection.

Gathered in front of the European headquarters of the UN at Geneva’s National Square, the demonstrators also organized a gallery with pictures of the recent uprising against the clerical regime.

Across the Atlantic in Ottawa, Canada, Iranian exiles staged a gathering in front of the Iraqi embassy and chanted slogans in support of Ashraf. They called on the Iraqi government to respect the Geneva Conventions and lift restrictions on the city. Protestors chanted, “Ashraf you are our hope, and a thorn in the mullahs’ eyes.”

They also demanded from the Iraqi government to comply with a European Parliament resolution underscoring the rights of Ashraf residents. They furthermore condemned any deal making with the faltering theocracy in Iran.