Support for Iranians demonstrating outside UNHCR in Geneva for 100 days

Agence Télégraphique
November 16, 2006

Suisse, Genève – Swiss and British deputies and French personalities expressed their support to the claims of Iranian opponents, threatened with expulsion by Iraq, in Geneva on Tuesday, November 14. They called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the ICRC to guarantee their protection.

Gathered outside the headquarters of the office of the UNHCR since the beginning of August, which corresponds to one hundred days, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin demand the reaffirmation of the refugee status of 3,500 members of their movement living in Ashraf, near Baghdad. More than 20,000 Geneva residents have signed a petition in their favour in three months.

Under the pressure of Tehran's leaders, the Iraqi authorities threaten them with expulsion at the end of the year. On Tuesday, a delegation of parliamentarians, led by two English deputies, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale and Andrew MacKinlay, spoke in their support to the representatives of the UNHCR and of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

At a press conference, the national adviser of the Geneva Press Club, Luc Barthassat (PDC/GE), expressed his solidarity with Iranian opponents. He also called on them to expand their international support in respect of democratic rights in Iran.

Protected by Fourth Geneva Convention

“It is extremely important that international institutions mobilize and give guarantees so that no abuse is committed”, pleaded Erika Deuber-Ziegler, former member of Swiss Parliament.

The United States acknowledged in July 2004 that Iranian refugees in Ashraf, some of them living in Iraq since 1986, were protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

A systematic interrogation of the 3,500 Ashraf inhabitants carried out by the Americans did not lead to any evidence of terrorist activities, reminded Gilles Paruelle, a Parisian lawyer who also testified in their support along with Mgr. Jacques Gaillot.

A Mojahedin official, Mohammed Mohaddessin, explained that the Iranian regime was reinforcing its influence in Iraq and was seeking to eliminate its opponents. “If they were sent back to Iran, they undoubtedly would be executed”, warned the representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The movement, led by Maryam Rajavi, appealed to the Court of Luxemburg against its inclusion on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations. France allows opponents to be free to do what they please.