STATEMENT: WILPF Statement on Camp Ashraf

On the 7 January 2011, Camp Ashraf was attacked and 175 persons were injured, part of a series of events which cannot be allowed to remain unacknowledged and which must be addressed. The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) expresses its concern over the continued violations of international law and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Camp Ashraf, Iraq.

Over the past years, several incidents have been reported from the camp, in which some 3,500 people belonging to an Iranian opposition group are housed. In July 2009, at least seven people were killed and nearly 300 wounded in an attack of the camp. Recent reports of the situation in Camp Ashraf tell of torture, harassment and repressive measures taken against the residents. This is the context of a deterioration in residents' health due to a reported lack of urgent medical attention and treatment, resulting in the loss of lives.

Since 2003, when the US army demilitarized the camp, its residents have been considered non combatants civilians and hold the status of 'protected persons' under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Two European Parliament Resolutions have been passed regarding the situation in the camp, the latest adopted in November 2010, calling on the EU foreign policy chief to lobby President Obama to remove the opposition group from the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, and to ensure UN protection for the residents of the camp. WILPF would draw attention to the Resolution of the European Parliament in 2009 and the clear reference to the protection of civilians and their human rights contained therein, and calls on the government of Iraq and other engaged parties that are in military, political and economic positions of influence in the area to ensure the protection of the human rights of the Camp Ashraf residents.

Regardless of background, the fundamental rights of the camp's residents are guaranteed under domestic and international law and must be respected. Full access to food, water, medical care and supplies should be afforded them and a long term solution for the civilian population must be found.