CATALOGUE OF CRIMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17145, 26 April 1919, Page 9

CATALOGUE OF CRIMES.

I . I OUTRAGES BY THE ENEMY. APPALLING DETAILS GIVEN. . United Service. LONDON. April 24. The Crimes Commission has fur'nished a schedule of each of the 31 ! categories of crimes it reported. It 'is an apDalling document, which , incidentally shows the excellence of ! the allied spy system, and which j contains the names of many perpe- j trators of the worst crimes, even [ ' signed orders for their perpetration i being given. It covers the principal 'massacres of""" Belgians, French, \ Greeks, and Servians, and the worst ■ cases of submarine sinkings, though 'it is noteworthy that the Lusitania is not mentioned. It gives the names of more than 50 Turks and Germans who were responsible for murdering, burning i alive, and drowning 200,000 Ar- j menians between 1914 and 1018. j t The document Droves that civilians I of Belgium and France were used to , shield German troops, while tens of ; I thousands of civilians were hanged, i It describes a long category of most, horrible crimes and outrages committed by Bulgarians, the bodies of victims being left to dogs and pigs to devour. In many villages no woman was spared violation, often under the most awful circumstances.' Of 100,000 Servians interned 50.000 returned broken in health. The document authenticates that German and Austrian authorities car!ried off 10 per cent, of the Servian 1 female population during the period ' I from 1915 to 1018.' !| The schedule comprises a tale of i 1 wanton devastation, ruthless slave-1 ; driving, tyranny, abasement, viola-1 tions. ill-treatment of prisoners, and ' other descriptions of frightfulness. PUNISHMENT OF OFFENDERS. 1 PEACE TREATY CONDITIONS. PARIS. April 13 The extradition of the ex-Kaiser will shortly be demanded for trial by A special tribunal on charges relating to interna-: jt'onal immorality and offences against the I laws of war. The Peace Treaty will provide that Germany should hand over tlio long h'st of submarine commanders, camp commandants, generals, and others for trial by a | military court-martial, I Such is the decision of the Supremo Four. President Wilson has withdrawn the American objections to th ; course, and I I now conforms to the Crimes Commission's j recommendations. } The American delegates reserved the right to present a minority report, but this now will not be preened. j ] The commission's report makes a terrible indictment of (he enemy's offences. It is ■an unpara'leled document record'ng the . brutality, bestiality, and dreadful forms of '.shocking indecencies and tortures, especially in Servia. I The charges which will be heard before the courts-mart''al and the special high' tribunal, says the commisa'on, should inj cludo outrages against civilians and soldiers in camps, and forced labour in the nvnes. The defendants should include those highly-placed persons who abstained I from resenting such violation. j The main tribunal should be constittited ' of three representatives of each of the five Great Powers ; and one each from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Servia and Roumania. A prosecuting | commission of five members will control ■ the prosecutions. Under the Peace Treaty, enemies will undertake to surrender persons, documents, orders, etc. Neutrals shall be asked to surrender persons sheltering in their territory. i The commission provides six clauses for the inclusion in the treaty binding enemies to observe the courts' decisions, and not to object to punishments, and to assist in every way. I The tribunals will be instructed to apply ;" The principles of the law of nations as they result from usages established among civilised peoples, from the laws of humanj ity, and from the dictates of public conscience." |