20 EXECUTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1927, Page 9

20 EXECUTIONS.

red terror revived. 'Aristocrats Shot In Terrorist Activity. SPYING THE EXCUSE. <B? Cable.— As>ociati"n.—Copyright.) LOXDOX, June 10. The Tio. 1 terror has been revived at Moscow by the Cheka (the Russian secret service), reports the Riga correspondent of the "Times."' This ha# resulted in twenty executions, the victims being members of the former androcracy, their alleged offence being espionage. An extraordinary eoniniunique has been Issued by the Soviet Government. It opens by stating:—"In view of the open transition to a; terroristic, destructive struggle by Monarchist White Guardist e!c- .is acting from abroad ou the __ _- i uctions of and with funds supplied by foreign intelligence services, the Collegium of the State Political Department sentenced to death, at a session held on June 0, twenty persons. The sentences were carried out." List of Victims. The list of those executed include: — "Ex-Prince Paul Dolgorukoff, who is gaid to have taken a leading part in the activities of Monarchist organisations abroad, anil to have illegally entered Soviet territory through Kumania.

Ex-Prince Mestchersky, formerly a landowner, was declared to have been an active worker for the Grand Duke Nicholas. Lytcheff, who is said to have supplied information as a spy to Mr. Charnock, a member of the British mission to Moscow. Captain Koropenko, formerly in Koltchak's service, who, it is alleged, supplied military information to Sir R. M. Hodgson, British Charge d'Affaires at Moscow. Hazurenko, an ex-Koltchak officer, who was charged with supplying Sir R. M. Hodgson with information as a spy regarding transport, particularly military transport. Eivengren, an ex-cavalry officer, described as one of those who, with Captain Riley, of the British Intelligence Service, was said to have participated in-the organisation of an attempt on the Soviet delegation to the Genoa Conference, heade by M. Tchitcherin, when the delegation passed through Berlin. Malevitch Malescky, a former officer of the bodyguard, alleged to have been an agent of the British Intelligence Service in Persia, and to have been sent for espionage purposes to Russia in 1927. Yevreinoff, an ex-Czarist consul, who was serving on the staff of the Soviet State Bank, and was said to have supplied the British Charge d'Affaires with espionage information. ■= Skalsky, an ex-noble, who was charged ttith supplying an alleged British spy, Ij.unakoff, in Finland, with information about* - aviation and war supplies in Eussia. Popoff, an ex-officer, who returned from France for the alleged purpose of conducting counter-revolutionary work on tlje instructions of Malakoff, ex-Czarist Ambassador. Steheglovikoff, a general's son, charged with spying for foreign General Staffs. Susalin, an ex-colonel in General Wrangel's army, who, it was said, organised in 1926 an abortive attempt against the life of the late M. Krassin, Soviet diplomat. Murakoff, a merchant, who was stated to have financed monarchist organisations in Russia. -Nikulin, ex-Chamberlain at the Court ®f the Czar, who kept lodgings where he wag alleged to have hidden terrorists froin abroad. Gure\ itch Solomon, who was said to fcave attempted to murder Bukharin, Eykoff, and Stalin, the Soviet leaders. Five others were shot on similar charges.

The references to Sir R. M. Hodgson, •nd the other allegations affecting Britain, are certain to evoke indignant repudiation. An earlier message from Warsaw had Baifl the demonstrations in Russia appeared to be against Britain rather than against Poland. It is apparent that the anger of the Soviet at the discovery of its plotting in London, followed as it was by the Voikoff nnirder, is being made the pretext for tliis savage outburst, of which helpless prisoners were the first and the easiest victims. — (A. and N.Z. and Sydney "Sun.") In an indictment of Bolshevik Russia by Maitre Aubert of the Geneva Bar, he Bays: "The Cheka, lately become known as the G.P.U., is ostensibly the extraordinary Commission for the struggle against counter-revolution, and at the same time a surety police, an organ of counter-spying, and an extraordinary tribunal, without a public Ministry, nor defence, nor judges Worthy of the name. It possesses special branches in each centre, a special service of executioners, and administers the prisons. All the organism of the Cheka is directed by members of the Communist party. The recruiting of the staff is made among liberated convicts and assassins. The staff of the Cheka are almost all foreigners. Their espionage system is directed to making every prisoner taken a sdv on his family anrl his friends._ Spies make all revolt from the interior impossible, because no confidence can be felt in anybody.'' In an address to the Geneva Bar on behalf of Polounine. a Swiss, who shot M. Vorovsky, Soviet Emissary at Berne in 1923. M. Aubert concluded: I have here before me the printed record of such horrors upon horrors that I cannot read you. There is a pointy beyond *"hich human strength cannot go."