Statement issued today by The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe:

"The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe once again draws the attention of the international community to the situation of Iranian refugees in Camp Liberty (Iraq).

In particular, the Committee is worried by a recent statement of the Iraqi Minister of Justice, in which he said that if Iran asked for the extradition of the residents of Camp Liberty, Iraq would deliver them. The Committee warns that this would constitute a violation of the principle of non-refoulement and a breach of international laws and conventions.

A sweeping wave of anti-regime protests has erupted across Iranian universities, as students at some of the country’s most prominent academic institutions boycotted classes and turned their campuses into centres of open resistance against the ruling theocracy.

Demonstrations spread through several major universities in Tehran. Protests also reached Isfahan University of Technology and Ferdowsi and Sajjad universities in Mashhad. Students voiced unequivocal opposition to authoritarian rule, chanting slogans such as “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator.”

At 1:20 a.m, on 18 September 2014, Taghi Abbasian, a resident of Camp Liberty and member of Iranian Opposition (PMOI/MEK) who was suffering from heart ailment and Motor Neurone Disease lost his life at the camp’s Iraqi clinic as a result of the anti-human medical siege on the camp and the lack of access to medical care.

He had been in ranks of PMOI for three decades in their struggle to overthrow the religious dictatorship ruling in Iran and to establish democracy and human rights.

As such, since 2009 that the United States transferred protection of Camp Ashraf to the Iraqi forces, twenty-one PMOI members in Ashraf and Liberty have passed away due to the medical blockade. A number of other patients who suffer from extremely serious diseases are in perilous situation due this criminal siege.

14th Oct 2024 - Iran's longest serving female political prisoner, Maryam Akbari Monfared, has had her prison sentence extended once again, after 15 years imprisonment.

Background: Maryam Akbari Monfared was born on December 14, 1975, and is the mother of three daughters. She is one of the most resistant female political prisoners who has chosen to live without bowing down to the mullahs. She was taken to Evin prison “to provide some explanations” at midnight of December 29, 2009, without being able to say goodbye to her daughters. But she never returned home. She was incarcerated because she sought justice for four of her siblings executed in cold blood by the clerical regime in the 1980s. Her sister, Roghiyeh Akbari Monfared, had a little daughter when she was sent to the gallows among the prisoners massacred in the summer of 1988.

Maryam Akbari Monfared, one of Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoners, was released on April 8, 2026, after nearly 17 years in prison without a single day of furlough. Her release marks a moment of hope for many who campaigned for her freedom. Despite suffering from multiple serious health conditions, authorities repeatedly denied her access to medical treatment outside prison.

Born on December 14, 1975, and a mother of three daughters, Maryam was arrested following the 2009 uprising. On December 29, 2009, she was summoned to Evin Prison “to provide explanations” and never returned home. In June 2010, she was sentenced to 15 years on charges of membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran—an allegation she has consistently denied.

19th August 2024 - Five female activists from Gilan Province, located in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea, have been sentenced to a total of 20 years and 7 months in prison by the Iranian judiciary.

The activists—(L-R) Nina Golestani, Negin Edalatkhah, Anahita Hejazi, Rozita Rajaei, and Anahita Doostdar —were involved in media and environmental activities. Each of these women was sentenced by the Third Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, the provincial capital of Gilan.