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UN fails to secure Iranian residents at Camp Liberty, says Maryam Rajavi

The United Nations failed to prevent the genocide in Rwanda, to prevent the Srebrenica massacre, and now is failing to provide adequate security for the unarmed members of Peoples Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) residents at Camp Liberty in Iraq, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi said in speech at the First Global Conference of Representatives of Iranian Youth Societies in Paris on April 8, 2014.She called on the UN to conduct an investigation of the previous attacks at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty that killed 116 residents and wounded more than 1000 others.

“We demand the Secretary General explicitly and firmly end its complicity and disregard when it comes to the commission of crimes against humanity,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “We urge the Secretary General to order an independent investigation into the mass executions and hostage taking at Ashraf on the basis of a clear timetable.”

Mrs. Rajavi made the statements in a speech on the third anniversary of the 2011 attack on Camp Ashraf, which left 36 dead and 318 wounded. The attack was perpetrated by military forces under the control of Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki, according to TaharBomedra, then Chief of the Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), responsible for monitoring Camp Ashraf.

In his fact-finding assessment, Boumedra concluded the attack “was premeditated extra-judicial killing.”

The US State Department condemned the attack and then-US Senator John Kerry called for a “thorough and serious” investigation” to “hold accountable the responsible parties and ensure that there will be no sequel to those horrific events.”Boumedra said, “As usual, the UN did not follow up on this call for an independent investigation.”

Three years after the brutal murders, an independent investigation has yet to be conducted on any of the attacks on Camp Ashraf or Camp Liberty.

Mrs. Rajavi said the demand for an independent investigation by the UN was not out of the ordinary. “Rather, it is imperative to prevent a repeat of inhumane crimes, and they are necessary to protect the credibility of the UN itself,” she said.

Inadequate Security and the UN’s Failure
Mrs. Rajavi said 14 months after the first missile attack security remains inadequate at Camp Liberty. She said the Iraqi government refuses to implement security measures that it’s obligated to provide based on a Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the UN.

Mrs. Rajavi said only a small number of T-walls had been placed around Camp Liberty. “The sleeping quarters and most of the halls lack protection,” she said.

The Iraqi government also has failed to provide a sufficient number of small cement bunkers to protect against missile and mortar attacks.

Mrs. Rajavi said “UNAMI and UN observers witness these events with their own eyes on a daily basis and are aware of all the details.”

She said, “I once again hereby emphasize the imperative security requirements at Liberty against missile attacks, including T-walls, fortifications, and the need for the transfer of protective and medical equipment from Ashraf.”

For the past two years, the Iraqi government has opposed the transfer of medical equipment from Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty that belongs to the Ashrafis. The government has also prevented the construction of buildings for the sick, injured, and disabled residents.

Mrs. Rajavi said the Iraqi government actions had “not been met with any objection or clear protests from the UN.”

Mrs. Rajavi demanded the implementation of written commitments and unfulfilled promises.

“We are demanding the release of seven Ashrafi hostages,” she said, “and the transfer of all the residents of Liberty, especially the sick and wounded, to Europe and the United States.”

Global Conference
The conference moderated by MC Jean-Pierre Spitzer brought together representatives of nearly 50 Iranian youth societies and associations, which offered their assessment of the political conditions in Iran. The conference also included the participation of Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, Howard Dean, former Chair of the DNC, Louis Freeh, former Director of the FBI, Alan Dershowitz, prominent US lawyer, and Michael Mukasey, former US Attorney General, and lawmakers Erick Skutle and Charlotte Spurkeland from Norway.

Maryam Rajavi
Maryam Rajavi is President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which seeks regime change in Iran.