On Wednesday October 9, that National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) hosted a live Twitter chat with special guest, Mohammad Mohaddessin. Mohaddessin, who serves as Chairman of NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, responded to real-time questions about the attack on Camp Ashraf and the status of the seven hostages taken by the Iraqi government.
A resounding theme amongst the participants was concern for the safety and health of the missing seven. Mohaddessin explained that the hostages are constantly moved from place to place including the Baghdad airport prison, Sharaf prison and other places in the Baghdad green zone.
He said ” we have documents which shows the hostages are under the control of Maliki directly and he is the one who order how deal with them we can provide the documents to an international court” he added this is a crime against humanity
He reiterated the importance that President Obama refuses any meeting with Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki until the hostages are released safely to their families. Maliki’s adviser announced that a meeting between al-Maliki and President Obama is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2013.
Several participants asked what average citizens can do to help and to bring awareness to this situation. Mohaddessin urged all supporters to reach out to their parliamentarians, U.S. Senators and Congressmen to demand action by the UN and U.S. President and Secretary of State reiterating on their responsibility in this regardand. “The time to act is now. The hostages cannot last much longer and the world should act before another tragedy strikes,” he said.
In response to the capture of the seven hostages, NCRI supporters across the globe have been participating in a hunger strike since September 1, 2013. Mohaddessin commented that the health of these individuals is deteriorating as they peacefully but painfully demonstrate the detainment of the seven.
Mohaddessin concluded his hour long chat offering hope, “We can overcome! The issue is not limited to the seven hostages. It is the guarantee of protection of over 3000 refugees and respect for human values.”
