By Shahriar Kia published on NewsBlaze
It is painful to see people suppressed for defending freedom and democracy, and even more so to see those who claim to defend freedom close their eyes and remain silent. Does any reason justify trampling the people’s right to struggle for freedom, or to close one’s eyes on the values marked by the United Nations’ charter and the US Declaration of Independence?
Today, it is more infuriating than ever to see silence and inaction in the face of injustice and crimes against humanity; it is outrageous to see values established with hard toil and sacrifice being betrayed.
Many normally influential people have put pressure on the Obama administration and State Department, but still nothing has been done.
Betraying Human Rights With Silence
Can the murder of 52 innocent Iranian dissidents in camp Ashraf and the abduction of 7 others – including six women – on September 1st be anything other than a violation of Human Rights? How about the forced eviction of the other 3000 Iranian refugees to a prison in Baghdad, pathetically named “Liberty?” And leaving the residents of camps Ashraf and Liberty at the mercy of their murderers, is that not betraying Human Rights?
While the seven hostages are still in his custody, the man responsible for the repeated attacks on camps Ashraf and Liberty is on his way to visit President Obama in the White House.
A Question For Mr. Obama
Mr. Obama, while the children of the hostages are restlessly waiting to see their loved ones released, what will you say to Maliki at the White House?
What Happens After The US Disarms People
In 2003, the United States government delivered an official letter to each of camp Ashraf’s residents, and in accordance the Fourth Geneva Convention, pledged to protect them until their final disposition, in exchange for the delivery of their arms, their only means for self-defense.
The United States issued an ID card for each of the residents, designating them as protected persons. On the back of the card is a phone number belonging to the American forces, and the card holder can call that number at any time he is in need of protection. But in moments of need, the residents’ calls were never answered.
Obama Surrenders Protected People To Their Enemies
Despite warnings raised by the residents of Ashraf, in 2009, Obama’s United States government surrendered the protection of the camp to the Iraqi government. Since then, the residents have been subject to five deadly attacks by Iraqi forces against camp Ashraf and camp Liberty.
On the dawn of September 1st, 2013, the bullets of Iraqi forces tore into the bodies of Ashraf’s residents and dropped them one by one, while their hands were cuffed behind their backs. The bullets were being fired from the weapons of the very people who had assumed responsibility for the camp’s protection from the Americans in 2009. The commitments and guarantees that the United States had given for their protection were neglected.
The residents said, “Our trust has been betrayed.”
Breach Of Trust By U.S. Government
Sid Ahmed Ghozali, the former Prime Minister of Algeria, points at the history and culture of the American society, saying, “For the American people, even shaking hands in business brings responsibility.” Remaining committed and staying true to promises is a sacred value. Muslims value pledges, and to break one’s promise is strongly reproached. The crime that was committed in Ashraf was a breach of the US government’s promise, and it had a negative impact on Muslims across the Middle East.
Even though the Iraqi forces that attacked Ashraf were trained by the US army, they received their orders from Prime Minister Al-Maliki, who himself carries out the policies of the Iranian regime in Iraq.
During her speech in a conference in Paris on October 19, Mrs. Linda Chavez, former White House Director for Public Liaison and the president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, said, “Those of us who believe in freedom, those of us who believe in the right of self-determination, should say ‘enough!’ The mullahs in Iran have directed their complicit friends in Iraq to slaughter innocents and this cannot stand.”
The crime against humanity that took place in Ashraf on September 1st was so horrible that Maliki doesn’t even dare admit having committed it, and, by spreading lies and falsifications, he has tried to falsely convince the international community that he had no part in it.
In his speech in Paris, Governor Ed Rendell, the former governor of Pennsylvania and leader of the Democratic Party, said, “And would anybody with half brain think that the Maliki government was not responsible for the September 1 attack?”
“They were the perpetrators,” he added, “and there’s an independent study coming out by a human rights group very, very soon that will show conclusively that the Maliki government was the perpetrator.”
Seven Ashraf Hostages In Maliki Forces Custody
After 54 days, the seven hostages abducted from camp Ashraf are still in the custody of Maliki’s forces in Iraq. They are facing the serious threat of being extradited to Iran, where they will be undoubtedly tortured and executed. In response to the international appeals to put pressure on the Iraqi government for the freedom of the hostages, The United States and United Nations have chosen to remain silent. The United States and the United Nations are oddly inclined towards believing that the story of the hostages is over and they are no longer in Iraq.
To this day, no investigation has been conducted on the massacre of 52 people in Ashraf. It’s been 54 days since hundreds of people in camp Liberty and in five countries, including Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Australia, started on hunger strike for the freedom of the hostages and assurances for the security of the residents of camp Ashraf.
Obama To Welcome Maliki The Perpetrator, To White House
Maliki is going to Washington at the end of October to visit Obama. How can one fathom that the man who is responsible for crimes in Ashraf and Liberty will be welcomed in the White House? Before such a meeting, President Obama must put pressure on Maliki to release the hostages, and an impartial committee must be assembled to investigate and clearly present the perpetrators of the September 1st massacre and have them brought to justice.
Silence in the face of criminals only encourages them to commit more crimes.
Related articles
- My Hunger Strike is the Wake-Up Call for the US and UN (campashrafmassacre.wordpress.com)
- I’d rather die of hunger strike than become the victim of Maliki’s savagery (campashrafmassacre.wordpress.com)
Iran Liberty 