§ 11. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that Chief Mohammed Begorreh, a British Somali subject, was brought before the Ethiopian Supreme Court and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment on 11th April in the absence of defence witnesses; and what representations he has made to the Emperor Haile Selassie in this matter.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerYes, Sir. The Ethiopian Supreme Court reviewed the case of Mohammed Begorreh and reduced his sentence of imprisonment from two years to eighteen months. I am advised that under Ethiopian law only the Supreme Court, and not the parties to the case, has power to call witnesses in a review of this kind.
I raised this matter during my recent visit to Addis Ababa with the Ethiopian Government. The Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs informed me on 24th April that His Imperial Majesty intended to exercise his prerogative of clemency so as to remit the remainder of the sentence. I understand that Mohammed Begorreh was released on 12th May.
§ Mr. JohnsonWhilst welcoming the act of clemency on the part of the Emperor and thanking the Minister for the part he played in Addis Ababa, may I ask if it is not a fact that the Ethiopian Government handled this case in a manner which suited them—in other words, in order to confer most prestige on themselves in the eyes of the Somali people and in a way to humble Her Majesty's Government?
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerI cannot accept that. The important thing is that Mohammed Begorreh has now been released, and I hope that that will improve relations between the Ethiopian Government and the Somalis.