AND journalists sacked by the BBC external services. Less than ten months after the murder of nine Iranian political prisoners bv the Shah's regime, which led to the occupation or ine ranian cmoassy in London, nine more Iranian political Prisoners nave been killed. Inis time they weren't shot while trying to escape - a story which didn't go down too well last time - but were 'tried and The Media Support Group of the Solidarity Campaign with the Portuguese Working Class organised a picket on 27 January to coincide with the appeal of two Portuguese Photo: CHRIS DAVIES (Report) executed, or so the orricial version goes They belonged to a group or eleven political prisoners who were "tried' by a military tribunal at the end ot Decembe and 'found guilty' of a long list of accusations, starting with such vague charges as conspiracy to overthrow the regime and including more specific charges such as the assassination or tree Us military from the right.
being touted for the right-wing candidate in the elections for the presidency. This post will play a key role in the project for stabilising capitalist rule in Portugal along the lines originally put forward by Spinola model of De Gaulle's France.
the trappings of parliamentary democracy would still exist but where real power would be concentrated in the hands of a strong president who would have direct powers over the armed forces and executive organs of the state. The necessary precondition for this in the present situation is that the president be directly elected and not answerable to any parliamentary body.
far from being fulfilled. The working class is increasingly testing out its strength in a series of strikes and advisors. Nine of them were eventually sentanced to dearn and executed on Sunday 25 January. Among them was one woman, the first woman political prisoner to be executed in Iran.
The trial took place in complete sec recy, and onry the brierest omicial reports appeared in the Iranian press after it was over. it is possible, in tact, that there was no trial at all and the nine had already been killed before the trial not that this would have made much difference, for the outcome of political trials in ran is decided trom te start the det endants have no chance to defend themselves, they are forced to 'confess' under torture, and if they still refuse to 'confess' Arriaga is now among the names trol.' - a 'strong state on the This would be a regime in which works it But these capitalist plans are still on the collective contracts | frozen after 25 November]; automatic adjustment of wages; recognition of the right of the workers to org anise themselves into workers commissions and exercise workers conObvious split They also demanded: "Measures attacking at the root the corrupt commercial structures and dealing energetically with the actions of the speculators; application of the agrarian reform according to the principle of the land to whoever • protecting the interests of the small and medium proprietors • and support for the agricultural cooperatives; no differentiation betin Evora have been attacked, while Lopes Cardoso is now regularly reviled by the reactionary landowners as a communist infiltrator and KGB agent The organisation of workers self-defence against these attacks can be one of the key means of rebuilding a a unrea working class orlensive which can deal with all the attacks now being launched by the capitalists. The conflict is still far from being resolved. The centralisation of the present mobilisations around a clear programme of demands which avoid the ultra-leftism prior to 25 November can pave the way for the re-emergence of the workers commissions and new steps towards the achievement of workers power in Portugal.
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Re-INSTATe CARTAXO
RIBEIRO NOW
NC URE NO NO