Mehran Bahramian: Iranian Dissidents’ Relocation

The tensions about the state of the residents in the Camp Ashraf in Iraq are still there for the families and friends of the Iranian dissidents. The matter moved an important step forward, when the Iraqi Premier, Nouri al-Maliki stated in a press conference last week, that in response to United Nation Secretary General, he had decided to extend the deadline of December 31 to close Camp Ashraf for another six months. He made that, subject to few hundred residents leaving the camp before the end of the year.

No doubt, to ensure the progress of the planned relocation, provisioning of minimum safe and secure conditions should be the first requirement of any new habitat for the residents. This is especially important since there are a great number of women among residents who should be protected against any harassment and abusive behavior.

The crises in Iraq have thus become a major cause of apprehension for all those concerned. As the U.S. forces leave Iraq at the end of the year, the country has moved to the brink of a real confusion. The tensions in the country are mounting, without any prospects of a peaceful solution, and the Iraqi Prime Minister, whose government is on the verge of falling apart, has shown to be determined to get a grip of power, by cracking down on his opponents.

Hence, a common picture which is often seen in all dictatorships is being repeated in today’s Iraq. Maliki ordered the arrest of some of his best known opponents, claiming their bodyguards were responsible for the assassinations and the explosions which occurred in the country over the past weeks. Soon afterwards and to complete the plan, the state-run media started to repeatedly broadcast confessions linking those arrested to the terrorist activities in Iraq. Looking a little further, a political and tribal civil war lies in the perspective, and this brings alarm about the state of the country as a whole and especially the residents of the Camp Ashraf are to be relocated.

Following the recent developments and the discussions carried out, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance welcomed a peaceful solution for the Ashraf crisis and once again declared her readiness for an immediate visit to Baghdad for start of the talks with the Iraqi government for making the arrangements for implementation of a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Camp Ashraf and to ensure the minimum guarantees for the safe of 400 Ashraf residents in their transfer to Camp Liberty.

Yet, there are many reasons for growing fears, causing unease about the safety of the armless residents of the camp. Some 400 agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) have been stationed in the Moein complex in the northern section of the camp. In addition, the Brig. General Hamedani, Tehran's IRGC commander, as well as a number of IRGC and Quds Force officers, have been moved to and are now stationed around the Camp. It is therefore too clear that moving some residents of the camp to the new location in the Camp Liberty, has turned out to become a very dangerous episode.

The fact is that the news about the movement and relocation of the camp residents has no doubt reached the Iranian agents. With the highly unstable and capricious situation in Iraq, the relocation of the residents is definitely dangerous project to undertake. Even accepting the best intentions of the Iraqi government, it is not clear who will be responsible for the safety of the residents as they move out of their present habitat. It is a known fact that there are insurgents in Iraqi forces, and this can easily bring about a humanitarian catastrophe.

It is therefore very evident that precautions are vital in order to prevent a catastrophe and loss of life. Having the gravity of the situation in mind, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, reminded the following as the minimum humanitarian and legal guarantees:

1. Safe and secure transfer of each and every one of Ashraf residents, without exception to Camp Liberty with their vehicles and moveable property under international observation.


2. Around the clock monitoring by the UN and U.S. until the transfer of the last person to the third country.


3. Initiation of the work of the UNHCR.


4. Iraqi forces shall be stationed outside of fenced area of the new location to ensure the security and tranquillity, particularly for nearly 1,000 Muslim women.


5. Ending the siege against, and halting any persecution and harassment of, the residents and annulment of forged warrants of arrests without any exception, and


6. Selling of the fixed properties of the residents under the UN supervision and to be reimbursed to the residents to pay for their security, logistical expenses, and transfer to third countries.

Having accepted to be relocated against their will, the residents do indeed to be granted the above guarantees in order to avoid a large loss of life.

ENDS

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