Simultaneous with the parliamentary election farce, residents gathered in front of Bonab's governor's office and shouted antigovernment slogans. Once the state security forces intervened to disperse the crowd, the enraged residents staged a protest march and on the way broke windows of banks and government buildings and offices.
Terrified of the spread of the protest, special anti-riot forces were sent to scene. They immediately opened fire on the crowd. Latest news say that 27 people were killed. At least 80 protesters were also wounded, many of whom are in critical condition. A number of them are hospitalized in Sina and Shir-o-Khorshid hospitals in nearby town of Maragheh. Several others have been transferred to Tehran. Two security agents were also killed during the clashes.
The protest began at 8:00 PM local time and continued the next day. At 2:00 AM Saturday, the families of the dead wore shrouds and came out onto the streets. Backed by large groups of residents, they began to demonstrate and shout slogans against the regime's leaders. Security forces again opened fire on the peaceful protest, killing or wounding a number of protesters. Many have been arrested during the skirmishes which continued sporadically on Sunday.
The mullahs' regime has dispatched the commander of the Guards Corps' Ashura division and 600 commandos to Bonab. At present the Guards Corps forces control the city.
The Iranian Resistance draws the attention of the U.N. Secretary General and human rights organizations to the slaughter of innocent people in Bonab and calls for their assistance in saving the lives of those arrested.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran - Paris March 11, 1996
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