Soudabeh Heidari is a 19 year old Iranian student currently on hunger strike outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square, London.

She is a former University of Manchester student studying Chemistry and English. She started her hunger strike with others in sympathy with the residents of Ashraf City, the home of an Iranian opposition group just North of Baghdad, Iraq.

Earlier in the year, Iraqi security forces started an operation to begin the removal of the residents of Ashraf. The operation took place after US occupation authorities conceded responsibility for its protection to Iraq under article 45 of the 4th Geneva Convention.

The operation that unfolded included the driving of US supplied Humvee military vehicles into a large crowd around the camp, and then another operation which resulted in the beating of the residents with wooden planks, the spraying of boiling water and the use of firearms by US trained Iraqi military.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNF36mY4Ojg

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_dc3rJ82c

Throughout, Journalists were excluded from the area by Iraqi Security forces.

A number were killed, scores were injured and 36 middle-aged men, between the ages of 45 and 57, were forcibly removed and detained by Iraqi police. Despite a ruling by Iraqi courts that the detainee's should be released, the men remain in custody.

Why are you here?

"I am here to support the residents of Ashraf, the 3,500 Iranian's in Camp Ashraf, Iraq. On the 28th July, at the behest of the Iranian regime, Iraqi forces attacked the people. They are defenceless, unarmed people. After the horrific attacks, 11 people have been killed and 500 injured. 36 people have been arrested. I decided to join the hunger strikes."

"The United States have a duty to protect them but has remained silent. They are a protected people under the 4th Geneva Convention. Article 45 says if these peoples protection transfers to another country, and that country is not capable to protect them, the US has a duty to take over Ashraf protection."

How cooperative has the US embassy been so far?

"They are not willing to receive our letters. They say they are not allowed to receive the letters till they call Washington."

What will you ask the British Government to do?

"There is not so many embassies in Iraq, but the UK is one of them. They have an office in Baghdad. I would like [that] they send a group of perhaps five people to go to Ashraf and see the situation and also make pressure [on] US to temporarily take [over] Ashraf protection. Many of [the] Ashraf residents are British. They are detainee's. One of them, Ibrahim Komari , his situation is very bad and I think that he is losing his life. I am worried about him. Thats why I am asking David Milliband to take action."

You have been here for 57 days now. How has that affected your studies?

"My studies have stopped from last year. I have come to London to help Ashraf residents. Last year at the same time we had a sit-in at Geneva for 126 days. We were there because we wanted [action] before the massacre was urgent. I [had] quit my studies to go there and protested every day. We also had a demonstration in front of Iraqi embassy. 133 days, and on the 28th July they attacked. I decided to go on hunger strike and I'm not willing to stop till [we] make sure Ashraf is safe."

There has been a lot of talk about media inactivity. What would you say to other students. What can they do?

"I talk to them many times. I would like [for] them to write a letter to David Milliband and Gordon Brown to make pressure to US Government and the United Nations to save Ashraf and also everyday, 24 hours, to have demonstration in front of US embassy in Grosvenor Square. I would like they sometimes join us and come and see the hunger strikers."


Soudabeh Heidari remains outside the embassy in Grosvenor Square with a number of others, many of whom have relatives in Ashraf. Their demands are that the US must honour its obligations under the 4th Geneva Convention, article 45, to ensure the safety of the Camp Ashraf residents. To ensure that medical aid is offered, and received, by those still suffering from injuries received on July 28th and to ensure that the 36 'detained' men are released into safety immediately.