Call from Rojhilat Alliance: Stop attacks on camps

The Kurdistan Political Forces Alliance of Rojhilat issued a written statement regarding the attacks by Iranian state forces on Rojhilat and Bashur, and called on the United Nations, the UN Security Council, the United States government and its allies, the central government of Iraq, and international human rights organizations to take action over attacks on refugee camps and offices of Iranian Kurdish political parties.

The statement said: “Over the past 21 days, the Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its systematic actions by repeatedly violating Iraq’s national sovereignty and international laws. The regime has carried out many missile and drone attacks, targeting refugee camps and offices of Iranian Kurdish political parties in a continuous and aggressive way.

These organized attacks are happening while Kurdish political parties have for years focused on political activities and have not posed any military threat to the region. Therefore, these attacks appear to be only a reason to continue violence, repression, and to spread fear.”

The statement added that “these aggressive actions have put the lives of hundreds of civilians, including many children, in serious danger and have caused new displacement of defenseless families under very difficult humanitarian conditions.”

The statement called “on the international community, especially the United States and its allies to use all available influence to increase pressure on Iran to immediately stop these attacks and guarantee the safety of refugees; to take necessary steps to equip refugee areas with air defense systems to protect families and civilians from drone attacks; to send an independent investigation team to examine these incidents and identify the damages suffered by refugees.

We also call on the government of Iraq as the host country: According to international law, Iraq is directly responsible for protecting the lives of refugees and Kurdish political activists on its territory. The Iraqi government must go beyond formal statements, ensure their safety, stand firmly against violations of its sovereignty by Iran, and raise this issue at high international levels. The time to act is now. Silence in front of these actions will only encourage the continuation of state violence.”