According to MKO’s TV, INTV, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale in an interview reiterated that 330 British MPs and 160 members of the House of Lords emphasized the political refugee status of MKO in Iraq. The interview came after his addressing participants in the sit-in outside the UNHCR headquarters which has been going on for just over 100 days since August.
The sit-in is an implement to coerce the UNHCR to reaffirm the refugee status of the MKO members in Iraq. The UNHCR has so far resisted the organization’s demands for certain reasons and since the residents of Camp Ashraf are victims of human rights abuses. MKO has refused to allow the international humanitarian bodies help the residents and has rejected recognition of their rights under Article 116 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states:
Every internee shall be allowed to receive visitors, especially near relatives, at regular intervals and as frequently as possible. As far as is possible, internees shall be permitted to visit their homes in urgent cases, particularly in cases of death or serious illness of relatives.
If Lord Corbett and his colleagues are really concerned about the safety of the residents of Camp Ashraf, they should call to guarantee the full implementation of the residents’ legal rights rather than campaigning for securing MKO’s political refugee status.