AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

6 July 2016

Index: MDE

14/4408/2016

Camp Liberty residents must be protected from attacks, said Amnesty International as it called for an independent, impartial and prompt investigation into the 4 July rocket attack on the camp, which is home to Iranian exiles.

 

Camp Liberty, located near Baghdad International Airport in the south-west of the city, was struck by rockets in the evening of 4 July, leading to some 50 injuries and material damage, according to residents. Five injured residents were transferred to Baghdad hospitals, while the remainder were treated at the camp clinic.

Camp residents told Amnesty International that the rocket fire started at around 8.35pm on 4 July as camp residents gathered together after breaking their Ramadan fast and lasted for about 15 minutes. According to eyewitnesses, the southern section of the camp – which has a high concentration of women residents – was affected worst. Eyewitnesses reported that some 50 metal trailers and a number of storage facilities for food and appliances were burned or otherwise damaged in the attack.

A 30-year-old woman told Amnesty International: “I was just finishing up eating when I heard the first explosion. I got out of the food hall together with my friends, and we started running. A rocket exploded about three metres away from me. From the impact, I fell on the ground on my face. I had blood all over my face and nose.” Another woman said that she felt that she was being “buried alive” under the flying debris and smoke as she hid in a deep hole in the ground which she said residents had previously dug out for protection in case of attacks.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior confirmed that Camp Liberty has been “hit by rockets” on 4 July.

Camp residents also complained to Amnesty International about their desperate living conditions. They said that Iraqi security forces controlling access to the camp had prevented the delivery of food, medicine and fuel in the eight days preceding the attack. The shortage of fuel in particular impacts camp residents, who rely on generators for electricity.

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