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Friday, 23 March 2012

Death In Camp Liberty vs. Washington’s Smear Campaign Against MEK


IviewIRAN

As Washington’s smear campaign fire away at MEK, Bardia Amir-Mostofian a 44 year old engineer and resident of Ashraf dies of cardiac arrest due to fatigue after 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty.

Bardia was one of 700 residents who volunteered to go to the Camp described to be a “prison” by a recent statement by the Council of Europe. (Full statement of Council of Europe) International pleas by the opposition (MEK) alerting the US,UNAMI and International community of a plot to fail the relocation and blame it on the opposition has not been heeded when most needed.

The statement released by the opposition blames Baridas’ death on his extreme fatigue and stress cause by the rush imposed by Iraq and UNAMI to relocate before the Iranian New year. Reports of harassment, attacks, physical threats by Iraqi SWAT teams, who speak Iranian, on the residents at Liberty, have caused serious concerns on the “good will” of the Iraqi side.

The presence of numerous Iraqi police forces, their invasion in the “women’s quarters”, deliberate sabotage on the sewage system and spying instruments improvised around the camp all point to this necessity.

As reported by the opposition, Bardia’s death was caused by prolonged inspection and harassment: “The inspection of belongings began at 8 am on Sunday March 18 and went on until midday on Monday March 19, following which inspections of individuals began. At one point during this offensive inspection, the Special Forces known as SWAT attacked the residents and beat them with electric batons.

The Legal representative of the residents has released a report by Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill in a statement points the blame on Iraqi forces;

After arriving at Camp Liberty, Iraqi officials under the command of Sadeq Mohammad Kazim (one of the commanders of the July 2009 and April 2011 massacres), sought to conduct yet a further thorough search. During the 48 hour process of search and transfer to Liberty, the residents were constantly subjected to insults. Many of their items were confiscated with no justification. All these matters were reported to representatives of UNAMI at the scene.” (read report at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/86521542/First-Legal-Report-transfer-Of400-Ashrafresidents18-Feb)

Mahin Saremi, relative of the Camp residents, former political prisoner and leading activist in the 2009 protests in Iran, reacted to allegations that the Camp leadership and residents are over exaggerating the harassment. While blaming the US FTO list as a pretext for such violations of rights by Iraqi forces she said:

“"Hawks will not pick out hawks eyes." Some pro-Ayatollah pundits have gone over the edge to accuse the MEK of imposing hardship and suffering over the residents. The smear campaign against nobel US officials who protect the truth about the Camp is working against the interests of the US. They are defending promised values by Washington only to keep a good face for it among Iranian people. Accusing the victim of self torture and harassment is not a new tactic. the first sponsor of such propaganda was Khomeini when he accused the MEK of killing its supporters in prisons and in public meetings during the 1980s.
The question is why do the "devils work " for him? Why side with the Ayatollahs against their victim?
"The MEK is not worried of the truth and when ever there has been an iota of justice, the MEK has been the first to out spur the truth. What Washington is doing is giving the Ayatollahs the best gift this new year: Keeping its main opposition as pawn in an illegal FRO list."

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