Iraq - Crime against humanity: Camp Ashraf hostages beaten, forcibly transferred to Baghdad

NCRI - The suppressive Iraqi forces raided the Khalis city prison where the 36 PMOI members held illegally around 13:00 local time on Thursday, forcibly transferring them to Baghdad

The fact that for the third time the Khalis court had ordered their release and the Iraqi chief prosecutor said on Wednesday that “We have issued orders to all police stations to release them wherever they are,” the hostages did not give in to forcible displacement.

However, the Iraqi repressive forces, in an act that constitutes crime against humanity, attacked the hostages that are on the 66th day of their hunger strike.

The hostages were handcuffed and thrown into vehicles to be transferred to undisclosed location while they were in critical conditions with some being unconscious due to previously declared dry hunger strike in protest to their forcible displacement.

Ironically this takes place while in Baghdad Nouri Al-Maliki announced the launch of the new “Coalition for Government of law” to take part in the next upcoming elections, in a ceremony that was broadcast live on radio and television.

Yesterday, a group of members of Iraqi parliament expressed their deep concern regarding the fate of the 36 camp Ashraf refugees, “Preventing judge’s decision from being implemented is an arbitrary action, a violation of law, a clear violation of individual rights of citizens, and also an obvious insult to the sanctity and justice. This is a denial of freedom to those whose innocence has been proven and it is punishable by law.”

The Iranian Resistance, according to the agreement signed by the American forces and every one of Ashraf residents after they surrendered their weapons in return for their protection until the final determination of their status, considers the American Embassy in Iraq and the American Forces responsible for the lives of these hostages and their return to Ashraf and calls for immediate action in this regard. This morning Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance in a letter to President Obama and political and military officials in United States, emphasized the urgency and necessity of their action.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 1, 2009