§ 25. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Prime Minister whether he has yet received any information as to the trial of former Ministers of the late Soviet Government in Hungary on charges of minder and forgery; whether every member of the former Soviet Government is charged with murder in 200 cases, which is the number of persons said to have been killed or executed under the Soviet Government; whether they are charged with forgery For printing paper money; whether he is aware that some of these Ministers only held purely technical and scientific posts and had no say in general policy; and whether His Majesty's Government will take any steps to save the lives of these men?
The UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Harms-worth)Under the Soviet Government in Hungary there were no regular Ministers, the administration being carried on by so called People's Commissaries of whom there were upwards of fifty. According to reports received from H.M. High Commissioner at Budapest, the principal Commissaries 18 escaped; of the remainder some fourteen are in prison. They are charged with murder, forgery, robbery, extortion by threat, sedition, teaching immorality in schools, and other crimes. The number and nature of the charges in each case varies with the information in possession of the authorities. The prisoners are all charged with forging-paper money, which I am advised is a true and legal charge. While some of them may have held purely technical and scientific posts, I am not in a position to form an opinion as to the weight which any particular People's Commissary may or may not have had in general policy. As regards the last part of the question I can only say once more that H.M. High Commissioner in Budapest has instructions to exercise a moderating influence, and is doing so, but that it is no part of his functions to interfere with the ordinary course of judicial proceedings in Hungary, and indeed the Hungarian Government are themselves debarred by the Constitution from interfering directly with the administration of justice.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYWhile thanking the hon. Member for the answer, may I ask whether it is not the fact that the Allied representatives under the Bela Kun Government did, with success, intervene in the direction of amelioration in the trials under the Soviet Government, and cannot our representative in Hungary now take some drastic steps, in view of the fact that we are directly responsible for setting up this Government?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYDo yon want murder to go on?
Mr. HARMSWORTHThe hon. and gallant Member is correct in the first part of his question. As regards the second part, I can add nothing to the answer which I have given.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYMay I ask the Prime Minister, to whom this question is addressed, whether something cannot be done to save the lives of men who are subject to these awful crimes?