Save Ashraf

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To:  Presidet Obama

The Honorable Barack Obama
President, United States of America
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

On Tuesday, July 28, 2009, Iraqi forces stormed Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, home to some 3,500 unarmed and defenseless Iranian dissidents. A day later, the AFP reported 11 were killed in the attack, citing an Iraqi official. Camp residents say 12 people have been killed and more than 400 injured. Thirty-six residents have been taken to an unknown location by Iraqi forces and their fate remains unknown. Some of those taken away are critically wounded and in need of urgent medical attention. On July 30, the Washington Post quoted residents as saying that Iraqi troops used fire hoses, pepper spray, sonic grenades and riot shields to plough through hundreds o residents. Pictures received from Ashraf show direct gun shots fired to the chest or face of residents and Humvee armored vehicles chasing people. Some residents have received multiple bullet wounds. The atrocious attack exhilarated the Iranian regime, who called it “late but admirable” (Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2009) but has received sharp rebuke elsewhere in the world.
In 2003, in exchange for their disarmament, the U.S. military granted Ashraf residents in Iraq “protected person” status under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and guaranteed that members would be protected from harm or forcible transfer to a country where they might face persecution. That promise was broken on July 28, 2009. When the protection of Camp Ashraf was transferred to Iraqi forces in January, the Iraqi government sent written assurances to the United States promising to treat Ashraf residents humanly and according to international law. The brutal attack on Tuesday shows that such promises from the Iraqi government are not credible and the residents’ lives will be in danger as long as Iraqi forces have control over camp Ashraf.

The attack is being interpreted as a kowtow by Mr. al-Maliki’s government to the Iranian regime (Wall Street Journal, July 30, The Guardian July 29, 2009). The fact that the United States allowed it to happen, at a time when people in Iran have taken to the streets to demand their basic rights, has been incredibly shocking.

We, the undersigned, demand practical and meaningful steps form our government ot solve this crisis, and ask for the fulfillment of the following conditions:
1. Release of all 36 residents taken captive by Iraqi forces;
2. Withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Ashraf.
3. Undertaking of Ashraf’s protection by US forces until an international force under U.S. supervision takes over protection of Ashraf;
4. Allowing of lawyers and representatives of international human rights organizations to visit Ashraf after having been denied access for the past seven months.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Save Ashraf Petition to Presidet Obama was created by and written by Hamid Yaz (hamidyaz@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.