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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