OFFICIAL STATEMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 18137, 29 November 1922, Page 9

OFFICIAL STATEMENT.

HADJANESTIS AND FIVE EXMINISTERS SHOT. BODIES HANDED TO RELATIVES. ATHENS. November 23. (Received November 29, at 11.35 a.m.) Official: General Hadjanestis and five ex-Ministers were found guilty this morning and short at 11.30. Before he faced the firing party General Hadjanestis was degraded, his badges cut off his uniform and his sword broken. The communion was administered to the whole party. The bodies were handed to the relatives.—A. and N.Z. Cable. OTHER TRIALS PENDING. ATHENS, Norvember 28. (Received November 29, at 11.30 a.m.) An unofficial message states _ that Prince Andrew and other Ministers will be tried shortly _ The hurried executions are regarded as being in defiance of Great Britain. M. G'oumaris was suffering from paratyphoid fever, and was unable to attend tbe trial. He was taken from bis death bed to be shot.—A. and N.Z. Cable. [M. Gounaris became Prime Minister in 1921. M. Protopapadnlds was Minister of Finance in his Cabinet, M. Tbeotokis was Minister of War, and M. Baltazzi Minister of Foreign Affairs. Princo Andrew is a brother of Constantine.’] [lt was recently stated that in. consequence of tho report of the Commission of Inquiry a decree had been issued handing over six ex-Ministers and Generals Stmligos and Hadjanestis to an extraordinary court martial. The report impugned exKing Constantine’s interference in; the military operations in Asia Minor, and 1 elated that lie forgot the examples of history, and. Instead of heading tho troops when times were difficult, fled immediately tho fortune of war began to turn. The report did not recommend Constantino’s trial, Ix’cause be was constitutionally irreeponsiblo. Hie indictment of the ex-Min-isters stated, inter alia, that they appointed as commander of the army General Hadjanestis. who was known, to possess an unbalanced mind 1 . ’Flic Greek Government subsequently "drafted a reply to the British protest against inflicting tho death penalty on the ex-Ministers or others who might bo found guilty in connection with the disaster in Asia Minor. Tho reply defined the Greek viewpoint and left the way open for further discussion. Tho Greek Socialist Party telegraphed to the British Labor Party asking whether tho latter was aware "of its Government’s intervention, and protesting against this undemocratic intervention.]