Camp Ashraf Affairs

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Families from Kermanshah and Lorestan enter camp Ashraf, Iraq

Twenty people of MKO members’ families who are from Kermanshah and Lorestan provinces joined other families picketing at Camp Ashraf chanting the slogan:

“Our message hope, Our promise, freedom”.

They entered Iraq to visit their loved ones, imprisoned in the Cult of Rajavi.

All those MKO members who recently defected the Cult notified that families’ presence at Camp Ashraf and hearing their voice via loudspeakers have been a very motivating and hope-giving to members.

The families suffer the hardships of traveling to Iraq in order to give the hope of salvation to their loved ones held as hostages in hands of the cult-monsters.

Such a determination will definitely win and thank to the God, the promised day of the salvation of hostages of Rajavi’s Cult is not far away.

Translated by Nejat Society

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September 5, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Camp Ashraf will be completely emptied by end of September

PARIS — An Iranian opposition organisation said that a final convoy of 680 of its members will leave Camp Ashraf on September 12 for the new Hurriya transit centre near Baghdad. Camp Ashraf will be completely emptied by end of September

"Around 680 Ashraf residents will be ready to move from Ashraf to Camp Liberty (Hurriya) on September 12 and they could start loading their belongings from tomorrow (Saturday)," Maryam Rajavi, president of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which includes the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran, said in a statement.

Earlier this week the United States welcomed renewed efforts to relocate the residents of Camp Ashraf which has housed members of an exiled Iranian opposition group for years.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland noted the "safe arrival" last week of a sixth convoy of about 400 residents of Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya, a former US military base once known as Camp Liberty.

A US official who asked not to be named said the camp could be completely empty "before the end of September."

Iraq has been locked in a dispute with the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran over plans to relocate them to Camp Hurriya.

Camp Ashraf is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad. Hurriya is just outside the Iraqi capital.

Under a December 2011 agreement between the United Nations and the Iraqi government, Baghdad was due to transfer the refugees from Ashraf to Hurriya.

About 2,000 of the refugees have been transferred but the relocation of 1,200 others stalled in early May.

In early August, the NCRI said evacuations had resumed.

Rajavi said that the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) had assured that the September 12 convoy "has to be prioritized and Iraqi officials should not obstruct the transfer."

She also stressed US State Department assurances that Washington "will take the appropriate measures" to ensure the safety and essential humanitarian needs of the transferees "of the last convoy which will move to Liberty on September 12."

September 2, 2012 0 comments

USA

Resumed Progress toward Camp Ashraf’s Peaceful Closure

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 29, 2012

The United States welcomes today’s safe arrival of the sixth convoy of approximately 400 Ashraf residents to Camp Hurriya, the first such convoy in over three months. We welcome and are encouraged by this resumption of cooperation by the Ashraf residents in the relocation process as set forth in the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government of Iraq and the United Nations. We call on the Camp Ashraf leadership to continue this progress by cooperating with the expeditious relocation of the approximately 800 remaining residents at Camp Ashraf.

The Government of Iraq has made considerable efforts to achieve a peaceful and secure resolution for the residents of Camp Ashraf, and we urge continued steps to address humanitarian concerns raised at Camp Hurriya by the residents. Recent progress includes the commencement of construction on a water purification station linked to an outside water source. The United States encourages these efforts and reiterates its commitment to work towards resolution of humanitarian issues at Hurriya, including sustainable means for the continued supply of water and electricity. The United States also reiterates its commitment to support the safety and security of the residents throughout the process of their relocation outside of Iraq.
As the Secretary of State said on February 29, 2012, “given the ongoing efforts to relocate the residents, the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s (MEK’s) cooperation in the successful and peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, the MEK’s main paramilitary base, will be a key factor in any decision regarding the MEK’s [Foreign Terrorist Organization] status.”

August 30, 2012 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

MEK members clash with police in Ashraf

Reports say there have been clashes in Camp Ashraf as Iraqi police attempted to inspect the belongings of the sixth batch of terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq group.

According to a report published by Habilian Association website, a well-informed source told MEK members clash with police in Camp Ashraf Arabic language Buratha news agency that members of the anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq group attacked Iraqi security forces with knives and truncheons yesterday in a bid to prevent them from examining their belongings.

To date, roughly two-thirds of MKO members have been relocated to Camp Liberty in five groups of 400; however, some 1200 of them still remain at Ashraf. Another group of 400 were due to be transferred yesterday, but the conflict hindered the move.

Iraq is committed to temporarily transfer members of anti-Iran MKO from Camp Ashraf to a former U.S. military base, Camp Liberty, for the UNHCR to determine their refugee status.

The Iraqi source said that the yesterday’s clash was due to the inspection of Ashraf residents’ belongings by Iraqi police.

In a statement released Saturday, the terrorist group claimed Iraqi government was obstructing the transfer of the sixth batch of its members from Camp Ashraf to Liberty by “preventing the transfer of many items including water air-conditioners, water heaters, kerosene heaters, maintenance tools and generators;” however, the Iraqi source revealed that the thorough inspection of the MKO belongings resulted in finding some materials for military purposes which they were aimed at transferring to Camp Liberty.

August 28, 2012 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Security arrangements in place for transfer of 400 MEK

Iraq: Security arrangements in place for transfer of 400 MEK from Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty

According to Al Sumaria News, security arrangements are now in place to facilitate the transfer of 400 more residents of Camp Ashraf in Diyala province to the temporary transit camp Liberty near Baghdad within the next 24 hours.

The commander of the Diyala police force Al Shammari said, "our security services have completed integration of all the security measures needed to transfer the sixth group of members of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization of Iran (MEK) still resident in Camp New Iraq [formerly Camp Ashraf, 55 km north of Baquba], to Liberty base in Baghdad pursuant to the requirements of the formal agreement between the central government and the United Nations to end the Organization’s presence in the country."

Shammari said, "more than 400 MEK will be transferred in this sixth batch, which is expected to take place in the next 24 hours".

In a process begun in February this year to empty Camp Ashraf before removing the MEK members from Iraq, the MEK leader Massoud Rajavi has several times stalled the movement of his followers. This latest batch should have been transferred in May. Rajavi refused accusing the UNAMI head Martin Kobler of being an "agent of the Iranian regime".

After a period of tense negotiation during which one MEK spokesman was arrested for inciting residents of Camp Ashraf to disobey Iraqi law, Rajavi’s wife Maryam Rajavi eventually announced from her base outside Paris that the sixth group of 400 MEK members would leave Camp Ashraf on 23rd August. Iraqi security forces who are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the members of this terrorist group have now put into place the security arrangements for this move which is scheduled to take place in the next 24 hours.

August 28, 2012 0 comments

Mr. Kobler, Avoid repeating the error!

The intricate problem and deadlock in issue of relocation of Camp Ashraf residents to Camp Liberty is not only result of the MeK leadership’s excuses and blackmail, but part of that, and Mr. Kobler, Avoid repeating the error! perhaps its major part, relates to the incorrect entry of the United Nations to this file and the more incorrect decisions of the UNAMI and the UNHCR on this topic.

These errors can be investigated in two areas:

First, basically the UN and the UNHCR should not follow the America’s wrong path in giving special and illegal privileges to the terrorist group MeK, and during the review of Camp Ashraf residents’ application for asylum , instead of being caught in the MeK leadership’s trap, they should adopt a more correct decision.

The fact is that the camp’s residents are guilty and the UN cannot and should not facilitate terms of harboring criminals and especially those who create plenty of potential and actual risks for international peace and security. Even if the UNAMI authorities succeed in their path, they have established a wrong tradition that causes to escape criminals from legal proceedings.

When the UNHCR engaged to process Camp Ashraf residents’ application for refugee, from the first it should deal with individuals and entities, such as the all files that it handle throughout the world; but regrettably committed a fundamental mistake and attended to negotiations with the representatives designated by Rajavi, whose task was defending the organizational interests of the MeK, not humanitarian rights of the camp’s residents.

The UN representatives- with good faith- from the first were just thinking about their goals and in the negotiations addressed facilitating the relocation process, while with the two mentioned mistakes they made the situation more intricate, and now suppose that by advising the Iraqi government for restraint and asking the camp residents for collaborating they can take the situation out of the deadlock.

However, the UN authorities should not just think to completion of the relocation from Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty, but, with the experience of this level, they have to put the overall conclusion on agenda that any negotiation with the persons as representatives of the residents or, more wrong, negotiations with Rajavi’s representatives is an irreversible error that will bring many times more destructive results than the current situation.

August 7, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Concern about Camp Ashraf

Press Statement
Concern about Camp Ashraf
Patrick Ventrell
Acting Deputy Spokesperson, Office of Press Relations

Washington, DC
August 1, 2012

The United States is concerned by the Government of Iraq’s reference on July 31 to the possible closure of Camp Ashraf by involuntary relocation of its residents. We urge the Government of Iraq to remain patient and flexible in seeking a voluntary arrangement for continued relocations, as only a peaceful resolution to the situation at Camp Ashraf is acceptable. This requires that continued dialogue be pursued in place of forcible measures and that all sides act in accordance with the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Iraqi Government and the United Nations.

We also call on the Ashraf leadership to immediately resume cooperation with the relocation of residents to Camp Hurriya, especially following the Iraqi Government’s delivery of a cargo convoy of goods as demanded by the residents on July 15. Allegations of dire humanitarian conditions at Hurriya are inconsistent with observations made by U.S. Government officials who have visited Hurriya, as well as reporting from UN monitors. Based on these reports, and other information, it is clear that the quality of life at Hurriya exceeds accepted humanitarian standards. The continued intransigence of the residents’ leadership in placing preconditions and making demands prior to any agreement to relocate further Ashraf residents is unacceptable and puts in danger protections established in the MOU.

The process established by the MOU has resulted in the safe relocation of nearly 2,000 residents from Camp Ashraf, almost two-thirds of its estimated population. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq’s (UNAMI) “Roadmap” provides a peaceful way forward for Ashraf’s closure, and the United States urges adherence to this process to finally and peacefully close Camp Ashraf. Ashraf’s closure will allow UNAMI, the United States, and our partners to focus attention and efforts on a durable solution for the residents’ relocation outside of Iraq.

August 2, 2012 0 comments

USA

U.S. concerned over Iraqi threats to force MEK from Ashraf

The United States expressed concern on Wednesday over Iraqi threats to force an Iranian U.S. concerned over Iraqi threats to force MEK from Ashraf dissident group out of a camp in Iraq, but also urged members of the group to relocate voluntarily to a large former U.S. military base in Baghdad.

Iraqi authorities have been locked in a protracted dispute with the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) over plans to move 3,000 MEK members from Camp Ashraf, where they have lived for years, to a former U.S. base near Baghdad’s airport – a step toward their ultimate expulsion from Iraq.

The Iranian group, which calls for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical leaders and was supported by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, is no longer welcome in Iraq under the Shiite-led government that came to power after Saddam’s downfall in 2003. Clashes between Ashraf residents and Iraqi security forces last year killed 34 people.

“The United States is concerned by the government of Iraq’s reference on July 31 to the possible closure of Camp Ashraf by involuntary relocation of its residents,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.

“We urge the government of Iraq to remain patient and flexible in seeking a voluntary arrangement for continued relocations, as only a peaceful resolution to the situation at Camp Ashraf is acceptable,” he said in a statement.

“We also call on the Ashraf leadership to immediately resume cooperation with the relocation,” Ventrell added.

The MEK has complained of poor conditions at the former U.S. base, known as Camp Liberty. Only about two-thirds of the group have moved there. The others, around 1,200 people, are refusing to leave Camp Ashraf. None have moved since May, U.S. officials say.

Iraq on Tuesday told them they have to move or it would be free to transfer them “to where we find appropriate,” as Iraq’s National Security Advisor Falih al-Fayadh put it.

Ventrell said U.S. government officials who have recently visited Camp Liberty did not find the “dire humanitarian conditions” that MEK members had alleged. He noted that Iraq had delivered goods demanded by Liberty’s residents two weeks ago. These included air conditioners, generators, food and water tanks.

“It is clear that the quality of life (at Camp Liberty) exceeds accepted humanitarian standards,” Ventrell said.

“The continued intransigence of the residents’ leadership in placing preconditions and making demands prior to any agreement to relocate further Ashraf residents is unacceptable,” he said, adding that finally closing Ashraf would let the United Nations, the United States and others focus on a “durable solution for the residents’ relocation outside of Iraq.”

The United Nations has been interviewing members of the Iranian group and approaching foreign governments to ask that they accept them for resettlement.

The United States has warned the MEK that its cooperation in moving from Camp Ashraf would be a key factor as the United States weighs whether to remove it from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Also known as the People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran, the group led a guerrilla campaign against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran during the 1970s, including attacks on U.S. targets. Some Iranians vilify the group for allying itself with Iraq’s Saddam during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Will Dunham)
Reuters, August 01 2012
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1605664-us-
concerned-over-iraqi-threats-to-force-iran-dissidents-from-camp/

August 2, 2012 0 comments

Nejat Society supports UN roadmap on Camp Ashraf evacuation

Dear Mr. Kobler, Nejat Society supports UN roadmap on Camp Ashraf evacuation
We are family members of Mujahedin Khalq organization forces. We founded Nejat Society (Salvation Society) about a decade ago. We have worked here to help release our loved ones who are held as hostages in the MKO.

With greetings and respect to you and your colleagues at the United Nations Organization.

Your peaceful actions to avoid violence and bloody conflict between the MKO cult and the Iraqi government in relocating of the group captives to Camp Liberty and eventually to the free world have provoked the group leaders’ anger and wrath against you!

Appreciating you and your honorable colleagues we should mention that your effort for peaceful relocation of 3400 men and women –stranded in the MKO’s cultic thoughts– to Camp Liberty and from there to the free world, is a humanitarian and highly admirable deed. As the families and victims of the cult we know that the cult leadership who has always welcomed bloodshed and tension between cult members and the Iraqi government, do not like your suggested roadmap for camp Ashraf closure and instead of showing their gratitude to you and the United Nations for your endeavors, they have consecutively created spurious and baseless tensions, problems, excuses and obstructions in this peaceful relocation process.

Mr. Ambassador,
We would be pleased to cooperate with the United Nations in their humanitarian commitment to resolve Camp Ashraf issue. The followings are some suggestions to boost the plan:
-All the people at camp Ashraf and Liberty to be interviewed separately and freely with UN and ICRC.
-The residents of Camps Ashraf and Liberty to be allowed to meet their families and friends in a free atmosphere.
-The residents of the camps to be granted the right to choose for their own fate.

Sincerely,
Nejat Society

August 1, 2012 0 comments

Iraq

International Conference in Baghdad on Camp Ashraf

An International Conference will be held in Baghdad tomorrow [July31,2012] devoted to highlight the position of Iraqi government regarding eliminating the existence of the PMOI elements on Iraqi territory.

A statement by the press office at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers said today: “The conference will present the reality of Camp Ashraf in the light of recent developments, and to guarantee the rights and interests of Iraq.

.."The countries that will attend the conference are (U.S. / UK / EU / Australia / Canada / Russia / China / Japan / in addition to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ,the mission of the Red Cross in Iraq and the Arab League representative in Baghdad"..

NINA

July 31, 2012 0 comments

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