Why is Camp Ashraf under siege?

[Kamel Omran]

Omran
May 25, 2009

Camp Ashraf, located 60 miles north of Baghdad, residence of 3,500 Iranian opposition members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), has been the focus of international attention for the last several months. The Iranian opposition has been residing in Camp Ashraf more than 20 years. The camp was under protection of the US forces since 2003. The protection of Camp Ashraf was delivered to the Iraq government since January 2009
Under the intense pressures of the Iranian clerical regime and particularly after early March meeting of the Iranian Supreme leader Khamenei with Iraqi President Talibani, in which Khamenei explicitly asked for expulsion of the PMOI and closure of Ashraf the Iraqi government plans to move members of an Iranian opposition group from a camp north of Baghdad to remote areas elsewhere in the country as it steps up efforts to follow the line of Tehran.
The imposed limitations and embargo on Ashraf by the Iraqi forces are still in place to "make the life intolerable" for residents of Ashraf. Except for food and medicine every other necessities for the residents has been prohibited to enter to Ashraf. But vis-à-vis these pressures, a widespread international campaign has been organized in many countries by many humanitarian organizations, parliamentarians from various countries and Iranian people and even from inside Iran and inside prisons. The campaigns are calling on Iraqi government to recognize the rights of Ashraf residents to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Now Ashraf is under the international monitoring by public opinions all around the world from US to Europe, Asia to Africa and Australia as well. Letters and statements flooding the Iraqi prime Minister's office are reminding the government for its commitments towards residents of Ashraf.