International

The Council of Europe wants to see an independent enquiry into the murder of fifty-two Iranian resistance fighters in Iraq. SP Senator Tiny Kox, on whose initiative the declaration was made, has welcomed the decision. ‘The murdered Iranian resistance fighters in Camp Ashraff in Iraq had, in the view of the United Nations, a right to protection,’ says Senator Kox. ‘It’s a scandal that this act of murder could take place despite this. And it’s good that the Council of Europe, which prioritises human rights, is using its authority to demand an international enquiry.’ The declaration was drawn up in Vienna, where the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which has forty-seven countries as member states, was meeting this week.

'The presence of Iranian resistance fighters on Iraqi territory is a thorn in the flesh of the Iraqi government,’ Kox explains. ‘In order to improve relations with neighbouring Iran, the Iraqis have made it increasingly difficult for Iranian refugees. The murder of fifty-two people puts a major responsibility on to the shoulders of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi authorities promised an enquiry but so far nothing has been done. They are at the very least creating the impression that they must have had knowledge of the attack, if not worse. I hope that international pressure, from the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, which has also spoken out on this, will contribute to the rapid establishment of an international enquiry.'

In its declaration the Council of Europe calls for a search for and rescue of seven Iranians who were kidnapped during the murderous attack in Ashraff. In relation to this to, there is every appearance that the Iraqi authorities were involved in the kidnapping and subsequent detention.