Eight executed in Iran after blast on train

          
          5/27/2011
          Article - Untitled Article
          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Oct 5, 1979; Section: None; Page: 9
          Eight executed
          in Iran after
          bIatön train
          From Liz Tjiurgoad
          in Tthran
          Eight Arab-speakln b'anians
          were executed yesterclarrmr
          southern city of flqaz m
          apparent retaliation for an
          earlier bomb explosion that
          rdpped through three compart-
          ments of a train, killing at
          least eight and injuring 22.
          Among those executed were
          several Arab guerrillas who
          according to the Government
          news agency had been involved
          in an earlier wave of sabotage
          last summer. More specifically,
          they were found guilty by an
          Islamic court of bombing a
          Mosque In which eleven died,
          blowing up railway tracks,
          and attempting to damage key
          oil plants
          The executions followed four
          days of unrest in the provinces
          of both oil-rich Khuzestaa and
          Kurdestan In the West where
          Ir us ybel1ious mdnorities
          wue keeping up ptessure on
          the central authorities for poli-
          tical aulionomt
          The worst incident of viol.
          ears struck on Wednesday
          when a Tehrsn-bound express
          train was hit bi a powerful
          explosion just ottside .Mivaz
          some 400 miles South-west oI
          Tebran. The fire was put out
          by rescue teams but yestenday
          Isla mic Gaardsnien and teams
          of volunteers were still search-
          ing the wrecked wagons for
          more bodies.
          The latest wave of sabotage in
          Khuzeslart started on Sunday
          when the aerial of a tall n i le-
          rowave telecommunications
          tower was toppled, damaging
          sensitive equipment and cut-
          ting telephone links with
          Tehran On the same night the
          Governor's off Ice in the port
          city of Khorramshahr was
          rocked by an explosion break-
          ing all the windows, and
          shooting was heard dose to
          the naval headquarters, No
          casualties were repDrted+
          yet come forward to claim re-
          sponsibility for the sabotage.
          Recalling the Rex cinema
          fire in August 1978, a tragedy
          which was to prove a turning-
          point In the struggle to oveP
          throw the Shah, the State
          radio said that its similarity to
          the train explosion showed
          “ what bands are now at
          work.”
          In Sardasbt, Xurdestan, close
          to the mountainous border
          with Iraq, five Islamic Gun-
          desinen were killed on Tuesday
          night and eight were wounded
          when rebel Eurds ambushed a
          motorised coluwu .
          According to reports reach-
          ing Tebran, at least six differ-
          ent Kurdish towns have been
          hit In t he ascW unrest and with
          one exception the targets have
          been either the local gendar-
          merie stations ot the unpopu-
          lar Islamic Guardsmen. On
          Monday a shop seiti g Islamic
          newspaperS a,nd reading mat-
          erial In Sanandaj was set
          alight and partially demolished
          tn a bomb attack.
          In Tebran, gunmen yesterday
          kidnapped a convicted radio
          commentator, shot him through
          the bead and abandoned his
          body. Taghi Rouhani was later
          taken to hospitaL Sources said
          the kidnapping was a protest
          by extremists against what was
          considered to be a lenient sen-
          tence. Mr Rouhani was
          kidnapped just before boarding
          a plane which was to have
          taken him to exile in south
          Iran.
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          5/27/2011 Article - Untitled Article
          Another bornl attack and Reuter qaas: Iran 's ousted
          shooting were reported on oil chief Hasan Ruth said In a
          Tuesday night near an oil dis- letter, published yesterday,
          tr1bution depot No group hasitEtbat it would not be safe for
          him to come out of hiding and
          face charges In the revolu-
          tionary court.
          He also said that his wife
          and family had been searched
          with “unprecedented violence”
          by armed men sent to his
          home. Mr Nazih was sacked
          last week as chairman of the
          National Iranian Oil Company
          (NIOC) after a long dispute
          with the Moslem clergy
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