French Mayors condemn Iraqi government for its treatment of Ashraf residents

On December 15, in a press conference in Paris, chaired by Senator Jean Pierre Michel, French mayors’ statement was made public in the presence of its signatories and Dr. Saleh Rajavi, NCRI‘s representative in France.

Noting in their statement the resolution adopted April 24, 2009 by European Parliament on Ashraf, the 2172 French mayors announced that “the residents of Ashraf are protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention” and the Iraqi government to “refrain from forcibly displace, deport, expel or repatriate them,” and “end its blockade of the camp and respect the legal status of the Camp Ashraf residents.”In a written message addressed to the conference Mrs. Maryam Rajavi said:“In France, the democratic tradition is rooted in history and linked to another value which is the defence of human rights.

The eternal values of liberty, equality and fraternity can be particularly witnessed in the actions of mayors and locally elected officials and are directly linked to people’s feelings and the sensitivity of the public opinion. “Therefore, I pay tribute to more than 2,000 mayors across France who are playing a role in our history by signing a statement in defence of the Iranian people’s resistance for democracy and freedom.“The fragility of the Supreme Leader’s power in Tehran led the clerical regime to suppress the organized opposition beyond its borders by increasing pressure on the Iraqi government in order to close Ashraf and forcibly displace its residents. “It is time for the message of your statement to be taken into account by the French government for a new policy that would take the same direction as its elected officials in support of the Iranian people’s struggle for a democratic change.”