Statement to the Iranian Consulate and to the World

We come peacefully on behalf of all people concerned for the safety of persons living in the mountainous regions along the Iraq-Iran border.

The consequence of Iranian shelling on farmers and their families in Iraqi Kurdistan is devastating. Iranian shelling kills and injures people, kills and scatters animals, destroys orchards and property, and prevents harvests from crops already planted because persons must abandon them in order to survive.

Iranian shelling of the border villages does not prevent or discourage the activities of the PJAK or the PKK. The disruption caused by Iranian shelling inside Iraqi Kurdistan is an ineffective and irreverent way of resolving conflicts created by innocent cultural and ethnic diversity.

We plead with the Iranian Consulate to use the influence of his office to inform governing officials in Iran of the distressing consequences of the shelling and to obtain compensation for damages done to farmers. We plead with the Iranian Government to stop permanently the shelling temporarily suspended in honor of the spirit of Ramadan.

We also urge officials in the Iraqi Central Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the United Nations to lead the international community to unite together to condemn Iran's routine slaughter of people and the destruction of an ancient pattern of community life.

Finally we plead for compassion to replace violence for all persons involved in this historical conflict.

CPT (Christian Peacemaker Teams) is an international human rights organization dedicated to reduce violence and restore relationships damaged by injury and suffering. CPT has been in Iraq since 2002.