Friday, August 24, 2012

Former UN official's revelations warrant full inquiry into actions of UNAMI in Iraq, says Association of Iranian-Americans in NY & NJ

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The recent revelations by Mr. Tahar Boumedra, a senior former UN Human Rights Official, about the actions of the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative for Iraq, Ambassador Martin Kobler, raise questions as to whether the SGSR possesses the integrity, the competence and veracity to be an impartial arbiter in dealing with the issue of the 3,400 Iranian dissidents in Iraq, residents of Camp Ashraf and the "prison-like" Camp Liberty.

Mr. Kobler's actions, described in full detail, by Mr. Tahar Boumedra, former Chief of the Human Rights Office for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in an opinion piece in The Hill and his interviews with other media, are unconscionable. 

"Mr. Kobler not only has stained, to no end, the reputation and credibility of an organization charged with upholding the human rights and dignity of asylum-seekers the world over, but has also caused the entire community of civilized people everywhere to demand an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into Kobler's mission from the very inception," said Allen Tasslimi of the Association of Iranian Americans in New York and New Jersey, who has two brothers in the Camps, one of them disabled.

A UN spokesperson's comments Wednesday in response to these serious allegations are not acceptable. As family members of those affected by such cover-ups, we deserve an answer.
This inquiry must include looking into all potential malfeasance by Kobler, his May 2012 trip to Tehran, his dealings with the Iranian regime's Ambassador in Iraq, and his collusion with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki of Iraq. And not the least, the suffering, deaths, physical and psychological torments endured by the residents of both Camps Ashraf and Liberty.

SOURCE Association of Iranian-Americans in NY & NJ

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