Demonstration against attack on Ashraf

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Thursday July 30, 2009 13:34 by Committee for protection of Ashraf - Committee for protection of Ashraf ltarighi at gmail dot com 0860506797

Stop the massacre of residents of Ashraf

On Tuesday, Iraqi police attacked Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where 3500 Iranian opposition live. They are unarmed and have no way of defending themselves. The Iraqi police have opened fire on the residents as well beating them with batons, sticks and running them over with humvees donated by the coalition forces.

On Tuesday, Iraqi police attacked Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where 3500 Iranian opposition live. They are unarmed and have no way of defending themselves. The Iraqi police have opened fire on the residents as well beating them with batons, sticks and running them over with humvees donated by the coalition forces.

12 people have so far been killed, over 450 injured and 32 kidnapped, many of who were injured at the time and are feared dead. Many of the injured are in desperate need of medical attention but the Iraqi police are preventing Iraqi doctors from entering the camp. The Americans can transport them by helicopter to their near by hospital in Balad where their lives can be saved but they have failed to do sol

Iraqi police forces are blocking all media access to Ashraf and preventing any direct media contact with Ashraf residents. This is an attempt to cover-up the crimes against humanity committed there.The entrance of all food, water and clothes have been stopped.

This attack was carried out at the behest of the Iranian regime and its supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who is using it in a futile bid to compensate for his humiliating defeat in the face of the Iranian people’s nationwide uprising.

The responsibility to protect residents of Ashraf rests with the United States. Ashraf residents urged American forces, who were on location and witnessed the Iraqi forces’ crimes, to transfer the wounded to the US military hospital in Balad, but they have not done so. We urge the US government to intervene immediately to prevent more bloodshed.

Residents of Ashraf have announced that they have started a hunger strike and will continue it until the fulfilment of their just and rightful demands. Among the demands are the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Ashraf, the release of those taken hostage, acceptance of Ashraf’s protection by US forces, the presence of lawyers and international human rights organisations at Ashraf, visits by the UN Security Council representative or Secretary General in Ashraf, the Iraqi government's compliance with the April 24th European Parliament resolution on Ashraf, and putting on trial and punishing the culprits of yesterday's brutal attacks against Ashraf.

Join us in front of the American Embassy in Ballsbridge to demand the US respects its international responsibilty and help save the lives of our families and friends. We will hold demonstration everyday from 2.30-5 until the attacks are stopped. At the weekends we will be holding our demonstrations in the city centre, time and place to be confirmed.

Please help echo their voice to the world, they have no way of defending themselves.