The conditions under which 400 Camp Ashraf residents were forced to move to Camp Liberty last week, where minimum of their humanitarian standards are not observed despite a technical approval in advance of the move by a UN inspector, among other issues, were the subjects of discussion at a conference held by legislative and legal authorities in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2012 in Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London.

The speakers protested the fact that Camp Liberty was approved at first place by a shelter specialist to be fit for Ashraf residents to move there.  A fact that was proven false after the 400 residents moved to the camp.  The speakers demanded to know who was responsible for such foul play.   They also warned about any cover-ups by Iraqi authorities or other parties involved, who by using Iranian regime tactics, are trying to demonize the residents by trying to blame them to be causing the problems.

The speakers called for an international investigative committee to find out who was responsible for certifying the camp Liberty to meet humanitarian standards.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi in her video statement said: “Remove Iraqi armed forces from the camp. Remove the surveillance cameras and eavesdropping devices.  Let the residents have free access to medical services, to their lawyers and their families. The residents must be protected from forcible relocations to other locations inside Iraq.  They must enjoy freedom of movement.”

Mrs. Rajavi further stated: “We have frequently warned that this camp does not meet minimum security and health assurances. Now all these warnings are proven.  Now we warn that the restrictions and suppressive actions in the new camp are steps towards another humanitarian disaster. Don’t allow the mullahs and the terrorist Qods Force to implement their plan in Camp Liberty.”

The conference started by paying tribute to Lord Robin Corbett, who passed away last Friday, as a leading advocate of freedom in Iran and the rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf. 

Speakers included: David Amess MP,  Conference Chair; Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, through video message; Lord Clarke of Hampstead, former chairman of the Labour party; Rt. Hon. Baroness Boothroyd, former speaker of the House of Commons; General David Phillips (U.S.), former chief of military police at fort Leonard wood, Missouri, and former commander of all police operations in Iraq, which included the protection of camp Ashraf; col. Wes martin (U.S.), is the former anti-terrorism/force protection officer of all coalition forces in Iraq, and base commander for camp Ashraf; professor Sara Chandler, Chair of the Law Society’s Human Rights Committee; Matthew Offord MP, Conservative MP for Hendon; Christina Rees, Writer, Broadcaster and Public Speaker. She is also a member of the general Synod of the Church of England and Chair of WATCH (Women and the Church); Geoffrey Robertson QC, founder and head of Doughty Street Chambers, Former president of the UN Special Court For Sierra Leone, and former distinguished jurist member of the United Nations Internal Justice Council; Lord McGinnis of Drumglass, Ulster Unionist Party Member Of The House Of Lords from Northern Ireland; Martha Jean Baker, representing the Women's International League For Peace And Freedom (WILPF); Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC, a leading figure in the legal team that de-proscribed the PMOI at the courts, specialized in civil liberties and human rights issues, and in 1974 he founded the Bindmans Law Firm. He is chair of the board of trustees at the British Institute Of Human Rights; professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, Oxford professor, expert in refugee matters in international affairs, formerly professor of asylum law at the University of Amsterdam, and legal adviser in the office of United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) from 1976-1988; Lord King Of West Bromwich, is a former Mayor of west Bromwich and one of the 35 appellants that took the UK government to court leading to the PMOI’s de-proscription in the United Kingdom; Malcolm Fowler, Birmingham lawyer, member of the Human Rights Committee Of The Law Society.

The conference was chaired by Mr. DAVID AMESS, MP; Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, addressed the meeting on video conference.

| More...