Opposition Leader Maryam Rajavi: Murder of Iranian Refugees in Iraq was Preventable if UN and U.S. had Lived up to Commitments to Camp Liberty Residents

PARIS, November 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Exiled Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi today addressed a memorial ceremony for 23 Iranian dissidents who were killed in Iraq on October 29. Ms. Rajavi spoke out against what she described as "an attempt by the clerical regime to prevent its downfall amidst growing domestic demands for freedom."

The event was held at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) north of Paris.

A sustained barrage of at least 80 rockets was fired at an encampment of Iranian exiles in Iraq known as Camp Liberty where members of the main Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI, or MEK), have been residing since February 2012.

The attack received swift international condemnation by leading international figures, such as US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The EU, UNHCR, scores of US lawmakers from both chambers of Congress, including John McCain, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, as well as NGOs including Amnesty International, condemned the attack against the defenseless refugees.

Several dignitaries from Europe, France, along with a number from across the Muslim world attended the ceremony and paid tribute to the victims.

In her recent address to the Camp Liberty memorial event, Rajavi, who heads the NCRI, accused the Government of Iraq and the United Nations of being officially and legally accountable for recent events. The basis of her claims rests on the fact that four years ago these actors signed a Memorandum of Understanding, declaring Camp Liberty as a "Temporary Transit Location" and guaranteeing the residents' safety. Recent events point to these actors not living up to those promises.

Rajavi said the Iranian regime's agents in the Government of Iraq are responsible for this attack just like the six previous attacks against the Iranian dissidents.

According to the Iranian opposition leader, what happened last Thursday could have been averted if the US and UN had fulfilled their commitments on Camp Liberty residents' safety and security.

Rajavi called on both Iraq and the United Nations to end what she deemed an "irresponsible approach" and to recognize Camp Liberty as a refugee camp to be placed under the supervision of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

While calling for a UN-led investigation into the attack and prosecution of its perpetrators, Rajavi demanded urgent medical care for the wounded; stationing of a team of medical specialists in the camp; and provision of tools, equipment and material for the construction of shelters and reconstruction of devastated sections of the encampment.

Rajavi underscored the responsibility of Iran's president Hassan Rouhani for the recent deadly rocket attack against Camp Liberty. Rajavi's remarks went even further, as she asked, "Why is it that the governments of Europe are willing to roll out the red carpet for such individuals? Why do you reach out to those who the people of Iran want to have prosecuted?"