URGENT ACTION
Seven Iranians abducted from Camp Ashraf
Seven Iranian exiles, members of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), were abducted from Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad, on 1 September by armed men who had attacked the Camp and killed 52 residents. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that they are in the custody of the Iraqi authorities. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and could be forcibly returned to Iran.
Six women, Fatemeh Tahoori, Vajihe Karbalaey (aka Vajihe Karbalaey Fatah), Mahnaz Azizi (aka Mahbobeh Lashkari), Lila Nabahat, Zahra Ramezani (aka Sedegh Ebrahimpour), Fatema Sakhie and a man, Mohammad Ratebi (aka Mohsen Nicknamei) were abducted on 1 September from Camp Ashraf, about 60km north-east of Baghdad in Diyala governorate, when the camp was raided by armed men who shot and killed 52 camp residents. All of the seven are members of the People’s Mojahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), an Iranian opposition group. Amnesty International condemns the killing of the 52 residents and has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the killings.
Eye witnesses from the Camp stated that they had seen the seven people in handcuffs, being beaten and thrown to the ground and then taken away in a white minibus. Their whereabouts remain unknown although unconfirmed reports have suggested that the seven were held in a detention facility at the former al-Muthanna airport in central Baghdad. The Iraqi government has denied responsibility for the attack although Iraqi forces have been responsible for previous attacks on the camp that resulted in dozens of resident deaths.