Protest at the appointment of Air Force commanders, is being distributed at meetings and demonstrations homofars and other soldiers. Signed by *A Group of Homofars in support of was passed by acclamation at a meeting of homotars at Technical University in Tehran on 16 February.)
Fellow homofars, The struggle to achieve democracy and social justice, which began in our society one year ago, has found its reflection in the army as well.
Soldiers, homofars, and others who were insulted commanders; individuals who were as freedom of speech, press assembly, and the right to vote; joined with the great mass of the Iranian people to overthrow this corrupt order.
We the homofars saw that our interests lay in extending our hands to unite with the people to overthrow the corrupt regime and replace it with an order in the interests oppressed, an order that Socialist Challenge 1 March 1979 page 8 past.
we and oner minary huge demonstration (the 8 Feburary support Bazargan against Bakhtiar). insurrection, uniting with the ranks of the people to fight the Shah's guards and generals.
But unfortunately the events of the past few days have gone in a direction exactly opposite to these aims. This gives us reason to continue struggle.
The same pawns of the old regime those who not only pledged allegiance to me sian out aiso never goined us behind the barricades — have now DECI and And this without the slightest consultation with us.
We must ask ourselves why have there been so many martyrs among the homofars and soldiers? Our fellow soldiers didn't risk their lives to see the same faces back in charge.
No, we voluntarily stood side by side with the people in the face of enemy would to struggle for social justice and democracy. returning to the same old conditions. personnel Where is the democracy in the army of that we fought for? Where is our right to free speech and free press? Where is our right to assemble, to belong to a political party? is our participate in elections? Where is our right to elect our commanders? And finally, where is our right to organise in the army, to. establish committees where we can discuss and our make our own decisions?
The Shah's generals always told us not to interfere in politics. But this was a trick. It was used to prevent us from protesting against their crimes against the people and their plundering of the manon s renes We must have the right to participate in polities so we and the soldiers are not used to massacre and repress freedom fighters. We must have the right to elect commanders appointment of individuals over us.
It is now clear that these rights won't be granted to us unless we stubbornly fight for them and organise ourselves. This is why a group of us have now demands:
assembly: thi vote and 2. Homofars our own for office for these demands. 4. all branches of the armed forces the armed forces.
CLUSE This will be PUS. 1. Full democratic rights in the armed forces: freedom of speech, press and right to organise, belong to political parties, to vote in end to the ban homofars attending the universities.
themselves must elect their own commanders. The elections should be decided by majority vote, with everyone having the right to run 3. The right to form committees of homofars in every garrison to struggle Extension of all the above rights to The soldiers of the army constitute the immense armed mass of the revolutionary movement. Achieving freedom for them will achieve freedom for all We invite all homofars and other military personnel to join us to realise these demands. We also invite civilian militants and freedom fighters to join step in strengthening the bonds between us. example is what happened at airbase in Bousher, in southern Ir It was from this base that pla flew surrounding countrie display the Shah's support for ot regimes, the homofar told us. day a general slapped one of homofars. The rest of the men went strike for a week in response refused to repair the planes, ground all flights for a week Then the protests changed to hur strikes: "Homofars, like everyone e could no longer live under the Sha repression. We had to take action.
THE masses reserved their harsh revenge for SAVAK, the hated sec police. Some agents they came acr were even torn limb from limb. the files in SAVAK headquarters w destroyed and the building now hou the Fedayeen.
Beneath the discovered a labyrinth of tunnels, m: of them probably used as dungeo linking SAVAK to other buildings Tehran.
When I left they investigating the miles of undergro communications and discovering