Supporters of Iranian opposition rally in DC

Associated Press
By NAFEESA SYEED
September 8, 2008

WASHINGTON — Supporters of an Iranian dissident group rallied Monday outside the White House, calling on the U.S. to protect its members based in Iraq.

Several hundred people marched around Lafayette Square, holding blue and yellow flags of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, or Mujahedeen Khalq. They chanted slogans demanding the U.S. support their members, claiming they face persecution if sent back to Iran.

Organizers say about 3,500 members remain at Camp Ashraf, their base northeast of Baghdad, which is managed by U.S.-led multinational forces. They fear Iran is pressuring Iraq to take control of the site from the U.S., which could lead Iraq to expel Khalq members from the country.

Supporters say Iran has already targeted the camp by firing weapons and kidnapping members.

The Washington-based U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents, which sponsored the rally, says about 2,000 took part in the march. Organizers say participants came from more than a dozen states, including Virginia and California.

The Khalq allied with Saddam Hussein during a bitter 1980s war between Iran and Iraq. The group has opposed Iran's Islamic republic and has operated out of Iraq.

Mahie Shaikh of Dallas cried as she spoke about her concern for her parents and relatives who live at the camp. She said Iranian authorities executed two of her uncles, and she worries about what would happen if her family is returned to Iran.

"It's important for them to be protected ... they're the only true resistance to the Iranian regime," Shaikh said.

U.S.-led troops disarmed the group following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Proponents say members of the camp have been recognized by the U.S. as "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention since 2004, which bars extradition or forced repatriation to Iran while U.S.-led multinational forces remain in Iraq.

But activists face a major hurdle with the Khalq's designation by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. In June, the Iraqi government also banned any dealings with the group, and said those who violate the order will face charges under the anti-terror law.

Backers filed a petition in July requesting the State Department revoke the group's terrorist status, according to Steven M. Schneebaum, a Washington attorney for U.S.-based supporters. They also point to Amnesty International and other non-governmental organizations that speak out against transferring authority of the camp to Iraq as proof that their cause is legitimate.

At Monday's rally, Hamid Azimi of Berkeley, Calif., held a photo of a relative who lives at the camp. Though the Khalq is a political group, he considers their current situation a humanitarian issue.

"We are definitely worried about the fate of these people," he said.