Stop Iranian Regime's Engineering Siege on Iranian Resistance in Iraq, Stop Silence on Human Rights Tremendous Violation in Iran

Camp Liberty resident’s torment due to medical siege

Mohammad Hadi Taali

Watch a short video report about the passing away of Mohammad HadiTaali, a member of Iran's principle opposition group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI (Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK) which is a main group in a broader resistance body known as National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI aka Parliament in Exile)

 

Parliament in Exile

While at Camp Liberty, in Iraq, Mr. Taali was diagnosed with lung cancer, and doctors in Baghdad advised that he be transferred to Europe or the Iraqi city of Erbil for treatment. But the Iraqi government at the time prevented his temporary transfer to Erbil, and his condition deteriorated due to delays in his treatment caused by the Iraqi government's inhumane medical blockade on Camp Liberty.

 

One of many Parks in Camp Ashraf aka Ashraf City, built by the PMOI members in 26 years of residency

After his transfer to Albania, Mr. Taali was immediately placed under medical treatment, but because of the progress of his cancer caused by the delays in his treatment, physicians’ efforts proved in vain and he passed away on Saturday, August 8 after 40 years of struggle against the two dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs.

Entrance of Camp Ashraf

PMOI (MEK) member Mr. Taali was born in March 1955. He supported the PMOI since the 1970s which resulted in his arrest by the SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police. In later years, he was expelled from the factory where he worked because of his support for the PMOI. During the anti-monarchial revolution he was among the vanguards of strikes and labor struggles in Qazvin.

Watch the short video report in English about Mr. Taali's struggle against the medical blockade on Camp Liberty, including his personal account of being denied medical treatment by clicking on the title above.

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 23 November 2012 described conditions at Camp Liberty as synonymous with that of a detention center and in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This was the second opinion adopted by the Working Group detailing abuses at the camp. Another opinion issued on 17 July 2012 found similar abuses taking place.

UN official resigns over abuses at Camp Liberty

Mr. Tahar Boumedra, SRSG's advisor on Ashraf affairs, who was responsible for Ashraf at the UNAMI for three and a half years resigned in May 2012 in protest to Martin Kobler’s attempts to cover up violations of human rights at Camp Liberty. In two shocking testimonies at the U.S. Congress on 13 September 2012 and the UK Parliament on 11 December 2012, Mr. Boumedra revealed how Ambassador Kobler would doctor reports to cover up the abuses.

 

Mr Tahar Boumedra at US Congress Hearing

Property rights

The GOI obstructs the sale of the residents’ movable and immovable properties in Camp Ashraf and has blocked all their commercial activities. In 2012 the residents signed a deal with a British company to sell their moveable and fixed property for approx. $525 million, but this deal was blocked by the GoI which is trying to steal and misappropriate all the property.

Temporary Transit Location or UN Refugee Camp

Instead of designating Camp Liberty as a refugee camp, the camp has been illegally designated a “temporary transit location - TTL” to cover up the appalling lack of minimum standards for a refugee camp and violation of laws and regulations related to refugees and asylum seekers. The term TTL applies to a camp which has a several-day or several-week passage for transferring refugees to third countries.

 

Camp Liberty illegally designated a TTL

Many distinguished international jurists, Parliamentarians, former government officials, human rights advocates, and human rights organizations have urged the UN to urgently recognize Camp Liberty as an official Refugee Camp and accept responsibility for the residents’ protection and to ensure that their rights are respected under international law.

EX- UN Iraq envoy: Iranian MEK Members in Camp Liberty are refugees

The former head of the United Nations in Iraq Ad Melkert has said that members of the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) in Camp Liberty, Iraq, are refugees and must be recognized as such by the international community.

Mr Ad Melkert, former head of the UNAMI 

The UN Refugee Agency must engage the government of Iraq on the “status of Camp Liberty as a refugee camp under protection of international law”, Mr. Melkert, former head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), told a major annual Iran Freedom rally in Paris on 13 June.

Dear dignitaries of UNCHR including Mrs Fleming this is the minimum rights of those who have all being interviewed by the UNHCR, their residency be known as refugee camp, continue naming Camp Liberty a TTL after almost four years of residency is very suspicious and therefore we, Iranians, demand you to do your responsibilities and keep up the values which UNHCR, UNHRC were built on. 

Dear defenders of freedom, democracy, human rights, and justice join Iranians at New York Rally (#NewYorkRally) on September 28, 2015 saying:

LOUD NO TO PRESENCE OF PRESIDENT OF RELIGIOUS FASCIST RULERS IN IRAN AT UNITED NATIONS,

LOUDER YES TO REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN