EXECUTION STAYED

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 31, 6 February 1945, Page 6

EXECUTION STAYED

CONDEMNED ELAS MEMBERS

LONDON, February 5. The British United Press correspondent says that General Plastiras has ordered the indefinite postponement of the execution of five condemned ELAS members and has also stopped any trials of ELAS personnel during the present peace negotiations. One of the former Prime Ministers of Greece and eight Ministers of the puppet Governments which were forced on Greece during the German occupation are being flown to Athens from Egypt to stand trial as collaborationists, announces the Greek Minister of Justice. The accused are expected to arrive today or tomorrow, and will be arraigned before a civil court. They are General George Tsolakoglu, ex-Premier, and the exMinisters Dimitrius Polozos (Markets), Alexander Russopoulos (Labour), Jason Papadopoulos (Merchant Marine), John Karamandous (Agriculture), Constaine Furnaras (Justice), Nicholas Luvaris /«rlJ? atlon)' and Vassiloios Karapanos (Welfare), and also Emmanuel Kanakusakis, ex-Under-Seeretary for Labour.

Two others who are to be tried with them are. John Rallis, the last Greek Premier under the Germans, and General Theodore Panalos, dictator of Greece in 1922. These two were in the Averoff prison in Athens when the ELAS captured the prison. Reuters Athens correspondent says that the Greek Government's decision to accelerate the trial of the collaborationists must be interpreted as a direct reaction to criticisms of the delay made on Saturday by M. Giogios Siantos, the head of the ELAS and EAM delegation, in the talks with the Government.