Kurdish proposals put to Khomeini

          
          5/27/2011
          Article - Untitled Article
          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Oct 22, 1979; Section: None; Page: 6
          Bazargan submits plan as fresh violence flares
          Kurdish • proposals
          put to Khomeini
          From Liz Thurgood
          in Telierah
          The Iranian Prime Minister,
          Mr B at aa , yesterday
          travelled to the holy city of
          Qoni, to present to Ayatollah
          Khomeini proposals aimed at
          ending the heavy fighting in
          Kurdistan.
          Ihe proposals , believed to
          have been submitted last week
          by the ICurds , were discussed
          at a Sp 44 session of the
          Cabinet on Saturday but no de-
          tails were avallable
          A key issue Is believed to be
          the granting of amnesties for
          the Kurdish leaders, Sheikh
          Ezzedk Ru eini and Dr Abdor
          Rahinan Ghassemlou, who were
          declared traitors and driven
          into hiding in August when
          Ayatollah Khomeini mobilised
          the Armed Forces against the
          Kurdish rebels.
          O ilier issues, are probably
          the withdrawal of paramilitary
          forces loyal to the Ayatollah,
          and the setting up of semi-
          autonomous town councils. The
          proposals were delivered by
          the State Minister, Darloush
          Farouhar, who has returned to
          Teheran from a series of meet-
          ings with leaders in Kurdistan.
          The Prime MiuiLL IJt
          Tehran amid reports of v iew
          violence in the Kurdish town
          of Bukan, and COaflicUn news
          from Mahabad where Kurdish
          rebels gained control after
          fierce fighting on Saturday
          night.
          A report submitted by Aya-
          tollah Khomeini's special envoy
          to Kurdistart said 74 had died
          In Ll i M habad fighting, but
          the figure was later challenged
          by the Government -
          that Iraq has been helping the
          Xurdish rebels
          Ktesvy shooting broke out In
          one sector of gahabad, which
          was under seige yesterday 1 but
          rebel sources said several
          hundred Kurdish guerrilla&
          were still Luldhj 5 most of the
          town. Mobile patrols of guer-
          rillas were reportedly trying to
          flush out pockets of revolu-
          tionary guards in the town and
          Government forces were firing
          from inside their barracks.
          Rebel reports that the Gay-
          eminent was using helicopter
          guosbips could not be con-
          firmed. They said rockets bad
          been fired from the revolu-
          tionary guard barracks,
          Meanwhfle. a group of
          Iranians has accused The Gov-
          of gaoling and tortur-
          ing dissidents for their
          political beliefs.
          According to the Association
          of Polltical Prisoners, the
          number of Irania ns currently
          in prison for crimes ranging
          from distributing party lltera
          tare to involvement in the
          ethnic minorities struggle, Is
          more than 1,500. At least 130
          Iranians have been executed
          r th ;r political beliefs since
          Ayatollah Khomeini came to
          power last Pebruary. -
          The APP also accused the
          regime of bo ldlnz secret trials
          In which defen4ants had no
          right of access to lawyers, or
          advance information of their
          charges. In many cases, re-
          ported the Association, the
          only participants in court were
          the clerical judge and the
          accused. Tx lals frequently
          lasted less than fifteen nilnutes
          and, In one case I I evidence
          was found in the home of the
          accused after he had been exe-
          cuted,' the APP said,
          The APP, which was
          founded durinç the last
          months of the Shah's regime,
          defined a political prisoner as
          “a militant child of Iran,
          against imperialism, dktstorr
          ship, and reaction.” Not in-
          cluded, said the APP action
          committee, were “the cr1
          flhlDals , te nturers and plun-
          derers” associated with the
          Shah ,
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          5/27/2011
          Article - Untitled Article
          According to the Govern- In a report released at the
          inent news agency, Khomeini's weekend, the APP said: “
          special envoy yesterday flew to conditions of political prisoners
          Xhaneghain -on the border, for ds no different from what It
          talks with Iraqi officials, The was under the cruel regIme of
          talks follow claims by the Mohainniad Reza PthlavL”
          Iranian ,Government and clergy Among the methods used by
          today's regime to extract con-
          Sessions, said The Association,
          were kicking, punching, and
          cablewhipptng.
          The APP report was the
          latest attempt by political acti-
          vists to highlight the plight of
          political prisoners and those
          gaoled by the Shah, who now
          find themselves treated as
          “trouble-makers “ by the new
          leaders.
          Among the examples of
          alleged Injustice cited by the
          APP were the cases of a 13-
          year-old student, All Amw
          Shekarl, who was recently exe-
          cuted in the city of Kennan
          after being “found in posses-
          sion' of leaflets “, and All
          Absan Nahid who, with a
          broken leg and arm, was sent
          before an Islamic fixing squad
          on a stretcher.
          The APP also touched on
          the cases of the 12 Socialist
          Workers Party members, R ca
          Saadati, and eight Journalists,
          who have become test cases of
          justice under the new Islamic
          leadership., Despite lengthy
          periods in gaol, only two have
          been charged and sentencet
          • UN adds from Cuernavaca,
          Mexico: The Shah has com-
          pleted the me moirs of his
          years on the throne and they
          will be published In French
          within a couple of months,”
          the Shah's spokesman Sd at
          the weekend.
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