Written question asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Ulster Unionist Party), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 December 2009.

Iraq: Camp Ashraf

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they classify the residents in Camp Ashraf as not being "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention; whether that classification takes account of their international obligations; what assessment they have made of the Spanish Central Investigative Court ruling that the residents of Camp Ashraf are "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention; and whether they recognise the right of that court to investigate the alleged attacks in July by Iraqi forces on the residents of the Camp.

Answer: The Government view is that, with the formal end of hostilities in Iraq and the transfer of responsibility for the camp to the Iraqi authorities, any claim to protected person status has ceased to apply. This is a view also shared by the US. The decisions of the Spanish National High Court are a domestic matter for Spain. It is for the Spanish to judge how they interpret their adherence to the international treaties and conventions to which they are signatories, including any investigations they may commission or carry out.

Secondary information