Spanish Court Opens Probe Into Iraq Killings

Iraqi police allegedly beat Iranian protesters inside Camp Asraf.

A Spanish judge has opened a probe into an incident in which Iraqi security forces are accused of killing 11 members of an Iranian exile group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization in a camp in Iraq in 2009.

Investigating possible crimes against humanity, Judge Fernando Andreu has called on Iraqi Lieutenant General Abd al-Husain Shimmari to appear on March 8 before the National Court in Madrid to answer questions about the incident.

The alleged attack by Iraqi troops and police took place on July 28 in Camp Ashraf, the base of Mujahedin-e Khalq.

The group says 11 Iranians were killed, 36 were arrested, and several hundred injured.

Spain's National Court is known for its cross-border human rights investigations.

compiled from agency reports