The Wire

Since the mid 1980s, Camp Ashraf in Iraq has been home to a group of Iranian political exiles. Known as the People’s Mujahideen, the group of some three-and-a-half-thousand people campaigns for democracy in Iran. However, the diplomatic relationship between Iraq and Iran means the camp is not very appreciated, and it has been the target of state violence in the past. As the Iraqi government plans to close the camp at the end of the year, the safety of the campaigners is under a cloud again. Australian Supporters of Democracy in Iran is a national activist group that rallied in Canberra today, to support the Camp Ashraf exiles. Group leader Mohammed Sadeghpour is an Iranian exile himself, and here he explains the importance of the demonstration.

** A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told The Wire on Friday 25/11:   “The Government is concerned about the situation of the residents of Camp Ashraf and continues to monitor the situation closely.We have raised our concerns regularly with the Government of Iraq and, along with the United Nations Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) and other concerned governments, will continue to urge the Iraqi Government to respect the human rights of camp residents and for both sides to avoid violent confrontation.UNAMI has a mandate to monitor the situation on behalf of the international community. We strongly support that role.We support UNHCR’s recent decision to seek to conduct refugee assessments of Camp residents and have urged the cooperation of the Government of Iraq.”