§ 3.20 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I apologise to the House for the absence of my noble friend Lord Henderson, who is laid up, and I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in his name.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a further statement regarding Mr. G. M. Wynne, now in custody in the Soviet Union.]
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, I am sorry to hear that the noble Lord is laid up. I hope he will be better soon. I have nothing of substance to add to the statement made in another place by my right honourable friend, the Lord Privy Seal, on December 3. Her Majesty's 328 Embassy at Moscow are continuing to press the Soviet Foreign Ministry for information about the case of Mr. Wynne; in particular about the place where he is being held, the likely duration of the preliminary investigation, the precise charges, if any, which have been formulated and the date when any trial would take place. They have also inquired about the possibility of visits to Mr. Wynne by an Embassy representative and by relatives, and have asked that he should be given aid and representation to which in our opinion he is entitled. Her Majesty's Embassy will continue to pursue these inquiries, but so far they have had no answer.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am much obliged. Would the Foreign Secretary tell us whether he has any knowledge of any precedent for a case of arrest of this kind in one country resulting in the person so arrested being transferred to another country to be separately and specially examined?
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, I have protested as strongly as I could to the Hungarian Government who were guilty of this practice. Of course, I am afraid that they were not in this matter in control of their own affairs. I think the Hungarians have an extradition law with the Soviet Union which they claim has been fulfilled, but whatever that law might have been, they had in my opinion no right to transfer Mr. Wynne without allowing him to be visited by our Consul in Hungary and without telling us with what he was charged.
LORD REAWould the inquiry have within its scope the actual circumstances of his arrest and disappearance?
THE EARL OF HOMEWe have been trying to ascertain that from the Hungarian Government, but they have so far refused to tell us.