European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes sunday september 18, 1977 Bhutto top supporters re arrested Rawalpindi up deposed prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto released on bail tuesday on charges of murder was arrested again saturday morning with 10 of his top supporters an official govern ment announcement said. The arrests removed from circulation almost All of Bhutto s top advisers and leaders of the provincial wings of his Paki Stan people s party and came a Day before official campaigning was to begin for the oct. 18 National pop had been scheduled to launch its Campaign monday at a mass rally Here with Bhutto giving the keynote address. The martial Law government of Gen. Ziaul Haq who overthrew Bhutto in a blood less coup july 5, said in a Brief statement that the men were detained for acting against safety and the efficient conduct of martial no right to Appeal those arrested do not have the right to Appeal to any civil court for release from detention which can be of unlimited Dura allegedly had arranged for a group of five paramilitary Federal Security Force officers to attack the automobile of former parliamentarian Ahmad Raza Kasuri who had defected from the pop the year father Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan was Riding in the front seat of the automobile and was killed by mistake. The five officers signed confessions and their Leader said the attack had been or dered by Bhutto. Faces other charges Bhutto also faces several other charges ranging from official corruption and misuse of Public funds to illegally detain ing two provincial ministers who were re leased shortly after Zia took Over the government. Bhutto s overthrow followed three and a half months of nationwide political upheaval fired by opposition claims that he and the pop had rigged the March National elections. With the City s jails filled to capacity some of the More than 2,500 persons arrested during labor related violence in temporary lockup Bogota Are held in the City s bullring. At least 16 persons were killed in two Days of violence in the Wake of a 24-hour nationwide general strike called to demand pay raises to keep up with Colombia s galloping inflation. Up christians guerrillas Trade heavy fire new clashes escalate in Lebanon Beirut up israeli supported Christian rightist militiamen saturday swapped intense artillery ground to ground rocket tank machine gun and mortar fire with palestinian guerrillas on the second Day of a major offensive against the guerrilla held town of Khiam. Government and diplomatic sources in Beirut said they had received reports of a major escalation in the level of israeli involvement in the fighting in South Leba non. They said they had received information that israeli forces took part in the Offen Sive attacking from the South As the right its struck from the North of Khiam. However Israel has denied a report by the palestinian news Agency Wafa that its Kin forced to watch executions Nairobi a weeping relatives of 15 ugandans convicted of plotting against president Idi Amin were forced to watch a firing squad shoot the men one by one a witness said saturday. The silence Between executions was punctuated by the sobs of grief of the rela Tives although they had been warned not to cry during the executions he recalled. Ugandan soldiers rounded up the rela Tives before the sept. 9 executions and took them to the execution site in the ugandan capital of Kampala the witness who asked not to be identified said. The 15 condemned men including former government officials businessmen and teachers arrived for their executions in a prison Van wearing the same Northern Italy rocked by heavy Earth tremors Trieste Italy up two. Sharp Earth tremors Shook much of northeastern Italy Early saturday causing Walls to col lapse and water pipes to burst and sending thousands of residents fleeing into the streets. The tremors were entered in the Friuli Region of northeastern Italy that was devastated by a major quake May 6, 1976. About 1,000 persons were killed and 70,000 were left homeless in that quake. The Trieste geophysical Observatory said the first tremor measured 5.1 on the Richter scale or seven on the italian Mer Calli scale. The second tremor it said measured 4.5 on the Percalli in several buildings of the Friuli town of Germona almost destroyed by last year s quake collapsed officials said. They said furniture was overturned and water pipes bursts in uncounted prefabricated dwellings refugees from last year s quake had been living in. In addition electricity in much of the area was Cut off by the tremors. Though there have been 395 separate tremors in the Region since the big quake of last year area residents have not grown accustomed to the seismic activity. Thousands in Trieste Udine Venice Padua Verona and Vicenza ran from their Homes and Many spent the rest of the night sleeping in automobiles or on the grass i Rural areas where they took Refuge. Clothes in which they were arrested he said. Each Man the. Witness recalled was tied to two Oil Drums filled with Sand and water and placed one on top of the other and his face was covered by a Black Blind fold. When everything was ready the officer commanding the firing squad shouted one two fire he said. Then All the 15 executioners fired at one victim at the same time meaning each Man was shot by 15 bullets. This meant the others could see the Fate that awaited them before their turn to die he said. After the firing squad was finished officials discovered that one Man was alive though his body was riddled with 15 bul lets. The commanding officer ordered a second firing the witness said. Ati Octor confirmed that each Man was dead he said. After the executions the bodies were placed in rough wooden cof fins loaded into prison vans and driven away. Twelve of the condemned men were convicted last month of plotting to topple Amin. The other men were sentenced in july on treason and murder charges. The executions had been ordered by Uganda s military defense Council and were approved by Amin. The official voice of Uganda newspaper reported that thousands of messages sup porting the executions have been received by the government. Planes bombarded Khiam Friday. It has not denied frequent flyovers by its jets. The state run israeli radio referred to the Battle As being merely Between Christian Phala Gist militiamen and the terrorists. No reliable casualty figures were Avail Able although All reports from Khiam spoke of at least a dozen persons killed on both sides and dozens More wounded. Wafa said Palestine liberation organization chief Yasser Arafat was in the guerrilla operations room somewhere in the South personally supervising the War operations to repel the israeli isolationist Christian rightist he was accompanied by Fatah Central committee member Abu jihad. Rightist sources blamed the palestini ans for provoking the offensive because they were expecting arms from Arab capitals by apparently this would be from the Southern port of Tyre the Only coastal City still in the hands of the palestinians and leftists. Israeli Advance claimed the sources said the rightists were hold ing positions on Hills overlooking Khiam to the North and that the israelis had advanced about one Kilometre inside Leb anon near the fighting the rightists reported that they had also overrun the area of far Hammam to the East. This tied in with palestinian reports that they were receiving shelling from far Hammam and the nearby towns of far Shouba and Che Baa As Well. However the palestinians said the israelis were doing the shelling not the rightists. It s not unusual for the israelis to Fly Over the area and help the christians out with supplies and artillery support said one Western Diplomat. But we have reports that the israelis actually joined in on the ground from the South As the christians attacked from the North he said. If that s True then this is a very new element and a significant escalation in the level of their
