Written declaration No. 415 | Doc. 11735 | 02 October 2008

Protection of Camp Ashraf residents

Author(s): several Assembly members

Signatories: Mr Nigel EVANS, United Kingdom ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Pedro AZPIAZU, Spain, ALDE ; Mr Walter BARTOŠ, Czech Republic ; Mr Luuk BLOM, Netherlands ; Mr Luc Van den BRANDE, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Mr Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Ms Marie-Louise COLEIRO PRECA, Malta, SOC ; Mr Telmo CORREIA, Portugal, EDG ; Mr Vlad CUBREACOV, Republic of Moldova ; Ms Anna ČURDOVÁ, Czech Republic ; Mr Nikolaos DENDIAS, Greece ; Mr Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA, Spain ; Mr Tuur ELZINGA, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Mátyás EÖRSI, Hungary, ALDE ; Ms Lydie ERR, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Bill ETHERINGTON, United Kingdom ; Mr Frank FAHEY, Ireland, ALDE ; Ms Sónia FERTUZINHOS, Portugal ; Baroness Anita GALE, United Kingdom ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Paolo GIARETTA, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Marcel GLESENER, Luxembourg ; Ms Rosario GREEN MACÍAS, Mexico ; Mr John GREENWAY, United Kingdom ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Gerd HÖFER, Germany ; Mr Joachim HÖRSTER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean HUSS, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Mladen IVANIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Mr Bakir IZETBEGOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Mr Bjørn JACOBSEN, Norway ; Mr Carlos JIMÉNEZ MACÍAS, Mexico ; Mr David JIMÉNEZ RUMBO, Mexico ; Mr Morgan JOHANSSON, Sweden ; Ms Francine JOHN-CALAME, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Corien W.A. JONKER, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Attila Béla-Ladislau KELEMEN, Romania, EPP/CD ; Baroness Jill KNIGHT OF COLLINGTREE, United Kingdom ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Franz Eduard KÜHNEL, Austria ; Mr René van der LINDEN, Netherlands ; Mr Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Spain ; Mr Humfrey MALINS, United Kingdom ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Maria Manuela de MELO, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Paskal MILO, Albania ; Mr Philippe MONFILS, Belgium ; Mr Fritz NEUGEBAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Edward O'HARA, United Kingdom ; Mr Kent OLSSON, Sweden ; Mr Joseph O'REILLY, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Ms Antigoni PAPADOPOULOS, Cyprus ; Mr Aristotelis PAVLIDIS, Greece ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen QUINTANILLA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Ellert B. SCHRAM, Iceland ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine ; Ms Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Czech Republic ; Mr Rainder STEENBLOCK, Germany ; Mr Zoltán SZABÓ, Hungary ; Mr Øyvind VAKSDAL, Norway ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Miltiadis VARVITSIOTIS, Greece ; Mr José VERA JARDIM, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Rudi VIS, United Kingdom ; Mr Georgios VOULGARAKIS, Greece ; Mr Konstantinos VRETTOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Hansjörg WALTER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Robert WALTER, United Kingdom, EDG ; Ms Karin S. WOLDSETH, Norway ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE ; Ms Rodoula ZISSI, Greece

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Amnesty International (28 August 2008, statement), the European Parliament (4 September 2008, resolution), and the International Federation of Human Rights (8 September) have expressed concern regarding the threats posed to 3 500 Iranian political refugees in Camp Ashraf in Iraq, who are protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Relevant international bodies and United States (US) officials have confirmed that the principle of non-refoulement and protection under international humanitarian law and international law apply to Ashraf residents.

We are deeply concerned that the protection of Ashraf may be transferred from the US-led Multinational Force

Iraq to Iraqi forces resulting in greater pressure on the Iraqi Government by the Iranian regime to crack down on or extradite PMOI members in Ashraf, and allowing the regime to increase its terrorist attacks on Ashraf. They would face torture and execution if returned to Iran.

Transferring protection of Ashraf under the present circumstances violates the principle of non-refoulement, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention against Torture, international humanitarian law and international law, and would result in a humanitarian catastrophe, thus we urge US forces for as long as they remain in Iraq to continue to protect Ashraf residents and uphold their judicial protection under international law.