Iran Probe
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
This piece was published initially at Al Arabiya Net on 30 May 2016, translated to English by Iran Probe.
MP Shirin Reza, a member of the Iraqi Parliament Human Rights Commission from the Kurdistan coalition, called for the separation of humanitarian and political issues resulting from various viewpoints regarding Camp Liberty residents. They are living under harsh conditions due to the siege imposed on them, she added.
This blockade has deprived them of basic living necessities and measures are needed to provide for their protection, she said.
We in the Iraqi Parliament Human Rights Commission have attempted, and continue to do so, to provide for their humanitarian requests as much as possible, this Iraqi MP said. However, there are many parties who have focused their efforts to impose even more difficult conditions on the residents due to their own specific calculations and political connections, she added. Various parties consider these actions as completely political in nature and do not eliminate the humanitarian status of this issue and this is a major cruelty against these residents, MP Shirin Reza continued.
The camp resident’ living conditions is similar to those of detainees as their logistics, basic needs and commuting are controlled, while they are also placed under repeated attacks as it has occurred in the past, leaving dozens of them killed and injured, she added.
According to the intelligence we have received security organs are deliberately inspecting food stuffs in a cruel fashion before they reach the camp, and their approach vis-à-vis the residents is based on political viewpoints and the fact that they are the opposition forces of the regime ruling their country in Iran, she continued, adding this is exactly why their rights are violated and lives threatened. This is in contrast with international and humanitarian laws, and the Iraqi Constitution also rejects these measures, MP Shirin Reza added.
It is worth noting that Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport is home to Iranian dissidents. They have been recognized as refugees by the United Nations and to this day they have staged numerous protest rallies and picket lines requesting the siege over their camp to be lifted. They are suffering from lack of food stuffs and adequate medical care, and they are requesting the provision of proper security and protection for the camp, especially after numerous attacks have been staged against the camp in the past few years that have left many of these residents killed and injured.
