NCRI- Various Iraqi associations and tribal leaders have condemned the tightening of a siege by Iraqi police forces on Ashraf City, Iraq, where some 3,500 members of the main Iranian opposition, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), reside. They urged compliance with a European Parliament resolution calling for respect for the legal rights of Ashraf residents.
The parties involved include Sheikh Talal Abdoljabbar Aydan, the leader of the al-Jahishi tribe in Iraq’s Diyala province, the Central Council of Sheikhs in Baghdad, the Society of Shiite Tribal Leaders in Iraq, the Intellectual Society of Diyala, the Freedom-loving Youth Association of the City of Khales, the Gulf Humanitarian Aid in Neynawa province, and the charity organization of New Era.
In letters to the American ambassador in Iraq, the US forces commander in the country, and other responsible authorities, the Iraqi associations and tribal sheikhs wrote: We were shocked after hearing about the sudden intrusion of Iraqi police forces at Camp Ashraf. This suppressive act occurs despite the fact that Ashraf residents have fully cooperated with the Iraqi government. During this time, Iraqi government representatives have interviewed every single Ashraf resident and have subjected every inch of the camp to inspections, in the course of which even a single bullet was not found.
The Iraqi leaders and non-government organizations urged US and international authorities to “immediately intervene and prevent the occurrence of a humanitarian catastrophe” in Ashraf City.
They also demanded “compliance with the [April 24] resolution of the European Parliament which calls on the Iraqi government to respect the legal rights of Ashraf residents.”