Iranian Ex-Prisoners of War Advocate for Palestinian Detainees' Rights in Letter to ICRC

The following represents the complete text of their letter to the ICRC chief:

In the Name of God

Mrs. Mirjana Spoljaric,

Honorable President of the International Committee of the Red Cross,

Greetings and regards

We, a group of Iranians imprisoned by the former Baathist regime of Iraq during the Iraqi-imposed war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, request your excellency to pay special attention to the issue of the innocent Palestinian prisoners, especially women, children and the elderly, who have been kidnapped and taken captive by Israeli soldiers during the past years and in recent months, in view of the lack of monitoring over the Zionist regime’s prisons by international institutions and organizations, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Mrs. President

As you are aware, many of the Iranians held captive in Iraqi camps and prisons during the rule of the Baathist regime of Iraq, like Palestinian prisoners incarcerated by Israel, had been abducted without participating in the war and in a bid to pressure the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and spent many years in captivity. Similarly, at present, a large number of innocent Palestinian prisoners have been kidnapped by the Israeli army and are being treated in an inhumane way, an issue which was exposed to the world in recent cases thanks to efforts by the free journalists and independent media, having provoked a wave of hatred all over the world.

These old, young, female and child prisoners and, in fact, hostages are going through a difficult period of captivity while neither a court is held for them nor they are provided with the possibility of defending themselves legally according to international laws and regulations, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These innocent prisoners, like what we experienced during our captivity period, are deprived of the minimum facilities, facing a severe shortage of food and medicine, not allowed to meet or communicate by phone, or even exchange letters, with their relatives and families, and always facing unconventional behaviors (mental and physical tortures) in prison and are suffering from many other issues that you are aware of owing to your great responsibility as well as truth-seeking and humanitarian spirit.

Mrs. President

As you have mentioned in your speeches and interviews, the circumstances in Gaza are literally "catastrophic" and medical care for civilian victims, who are not part of the war, is insufficient, and therefore, they must be protected according to the law of war.

We, the Iranians who were imprisoned in Iraq during the rule of the Iraqi Baathist regime, while expressing our gratitude toward you for your supportive international humanitarian law measures, ask you to do what you can to ensure the safety, dignity and rights of the innocent Palestinian people and prisoners in the Israeli army’s hands.

A group of Iranians imprisoned in Iraq during the former Iraqi Baathist regime