- At behest of Iranian regime and Government of Iraq, Martin Kobler presents false and hostile reports to Security Council today to deceive international community and pave the way for massacre of Camp Liberty residents
- Renewed appeal to Security Council to form an international fact-finding mission
NCRI – Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary General, plans this afternoon (July 16) to use his final appearance at the Security Council to once again present false and hostile reports to deceive the UNSC and the international community in order to pave the way for further massacres of Camp Liberty residents as part of his commitment to the Iranian regime and the Government of Iraq (GoI).
According to reports obtained by the Iranian Resistance from inside Iran, Martin Kobler has promised the GoI to blame the camp leadership and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) for the problems at Camp Liberty and to accuse them of violating the rights of the residents. In this manner, he wants to divert attention from the lack of security at Liberty, which has on three occasions faced rocket attacks leaving 10 killed and 170 injured, and Iraq’s prevention of minimum security provisions from being met.
Martin Kobler today plans to repeat his lies mentioned in his 14 letters to the representatives of the residents since the February 9 attack and his remarks to the UNSC on March 21 and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on May 29. His latest letter, dated June 28, contained more than 20 blatant lies to which the NCRI responded in detail in its statement of July 1 calling on the UN Secretary General and Security Council to form an international fact-finding mission to investigate these lies.
Previously on June 10, the representative of the residents wrote to the Secretary General about Kobler’s 13th dishonest letter, saying: “[I] seek your attention and warn that these letters are setting the stage for another massacre in Ashraf and Liberty. This is a calculated plan that by including “the responsibility is yours” clause, intend to blame the victims instead of the henchman.”
The letter reiterated the residents’ suggestion “to form an international fact-finding delegation to investigate on Mr. Kobler’s claims and our complaints,” adding: “I hope that by accepting this proposal, you will not allow the Kobler’s dark record to overshadow the UN functions and those of yours.”
Following Martin Kobler’s dishonest remarks at the European Parliament, which were met with strong protests by MEPs and calls for him to be sacked, more than 3,000 of the residents signed a statement saying: “Given that Kobler’s continuous and systematic lies are a clear attempt to pave the way for our massacre, we call on the United States government, the United Nations, the European Union, and the European parliament to form a fact-finding international delegation to visit Camp Liberty in the presence of our representatives and lawyers with adequate time and to speak freely with anyone they wish to discover the truth and to publicly announce their findings for everyone’s information. We guarantee our outmost cooperation with this delegation. Now if any side refrains from forming this delegation, does not grant entry to it, or stonewalls against it, then that party demonstrates that it lacks goodwill and is involved in the massacre of Liberty residents.”
In response to Kobler’s letter of March 15, the NCRI issued a statement on March 16 saying Kobler “in yet another misleading letter” and “presenting Kobler’s positions and report in UNSG’s name” … “pulls trigger of future attacks on Liberty and Ashraf”. The NCRI called on the “upcoming session of the Security Council … to form an impartial delegation to investigate and identify those who ordered, carried out and facilitated the crimes that occurred on February 9 at Camp Liberty and to refer them to the International Criminal Court; the Security Council should also compel the Iraqi government to return Liberty residents to Ashraf so that their minimum security is ensured and it must ask the Secretary-General to appoint an impartial and competent representative for solving the issue of Liberty and Ashraf.”
Mr. Tahar Boumedra, former chief of UNAMI’s Human Rights Office and UNAMI’s advisor on Camp Ashraf, who resigned from his position in May 2012 in protest to Kobler’s biased attitude in favor of the Government of Iraq and the Iranian regime, in his testimonies under oath to the US House of Representatives, the European Parliament and the Parliaments of France and the United Kingdom and the United Nations in Geneva and in his book entitled “Ashraf, the untold story” revealed clearly that Kobler’s mission was to close Camp Ashraf at all costs, transfer the residents to the Liberty prison, force them to submit to the Iranian regime and to dismantle the PMOI. Having failed in his evil mission, Kobler now plans to pave the way for the massacre of the residents, thereby fulfilling his promise to the Iranian regime and the Government of Iraq.
The international committee “In Search of Justice”, made up of 4,000 United States and European lawmakers in a report to the July 16 session of the Security Council urged the council to “establish an impartial inquiry commission” to investigate the “missile barrages against Liberty” and “Kobler’s record regarding Ashraf and Liberty” (Paragraph 98). The ISJ said in its report: “Since Kobler’s report to the Security Council will by no means be impartial, we strongly request the presence of a representative on behalf of the residents in the 16 July session to present a real report and respond to the Council members’ questions” (Paragraph 96).
Mr. Struan Stevenson, the President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq, on July 15 wrote in an urgent letter to the Secretary General: “Martin Kobler has again dispatched his special agent Masoud Dorani to Liberty in order to carry out provocative actions against the residents and to provide some propaganda material for Kobler’s report to the Security Council.”
He concluded at the end of his 10-point letter: “In view of the foregoing, please do not allow Martin Kobler to dissemble and deceive the assembly by spreading falsehoods against the residents as he did in previous sessions of the Security Council and indeed which he did in a recent presentation to the European Parliament. Such accusations and mistruths simply provide encouragement to the Iraqis and their Iranian puppet-masters to set the scene for another massacre. If you wish to hear a balanced report on Liberty, a residents’ representative should also participate in the meeting to provide an independent report and answer members’ questions.”
The Iranian Resistance once again reminds the United Nations and the US Government of their responsibility to uphold the security and safety of Liberty residents and once again urges today’s session of the Security Council:
1) to establish an international fact-finding mission with the presence of the residents’ representatives and lawyers to investigate Kobler’s lies and actions;
2) to permit the residents’ representative to take part in today’s council session, present its report and respond to Council members’ questions;
3) to obligate the Government of Iraq, following the three missile attacks, 10 deaths and 170 injuries, to transfer the Liberty residents back to Ashraf until such time that the minimum security provisions at Camp Liberty are met.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
July 16, 2013