§ MR. STEVENSONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any statements have been received from Sir Philip Currie regarding the number of political prisoners, both Christian and Moslem, who are at present in Turkish prisons or exiled to Arabia without trial or after sham trials; and, if not, whether it will be possible to obtain the information?
MR. CURZONAn Imperial Irade for the release of political prisoners was issued on December 22nd, exception being made of those already condemned to death, who were to be imprisoned in fortresses and released gradually. On January 4th the Representatives of the Powers at Constantinople addressed a joint communication to the Porte pointing out that up to December 30th only some 100 out of the 500 Armenian prisoners in Constantinople had been released, and that some of these had been sent away into the interior, while in many places in the provinces the local authorities had declined to carry out the liberation. At 276 a later date the Porte replied that all the Armenian prisoners in the capital had now been released, and that the strictest orders to the same effect had been sent to the provincial authorities. The latest reports which have been received from Her Majesty's Consular Officers in Asia Minor, which are, however, of rather earlier date, show that in some districts there remained no political prisoners, and that in others liberation was proceeding gradually. A considerable amount of information on the subject will be found in the Blue-books which will shortly be laid.