TORTURE ALLEGED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27221, 26 October 1949, Page 7

TORTURE ALLEGED

Greek Political Prisoners

SOVIET ATTACK IN UNITED NATIONS NZPA—Copyright

Rec. 9.30 p.m. NEW YORK, Oct 25. The Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr Andrei Vyshinsky, 10-day declared that the Greek Government was using inhuman torture against political prisoners. Speaking m the Political Committee of the United Nations, he said: “Information that has come out of the prisons speaks of inhuman tortures meted out to condemned Greek patriots. They are subjected to all kinds of torments.”

Mr Vyshinsky said the tortures included stringing prisoners up by the arms which were passed between their tied-up legs. They had also been tortured by fire, had their hair torn out, were made to stand for hours in the burning sun, and were hurled from cliffs into the sea. Some men had suffered violence to “their vital organs, added Mr Vyshinsky.

Mr Panayotis Pipinelis (Greece) told the committee: “The old melody of terrorism in Greece” again was being intoned for the purpose of confusing the issue. What was called terrorism actually was only the suppression of acts of treason and sabotage. This suppression, unfortunately, had to be severe

Sir Carl Berendsen (New Zealand) said that while he would vote against Mr Vyshinsky’s proposal for the repealing of sentences of political prisoners in Greece he was “ most unhappy ’’ about the situation in Greece. He hoped the Greek Government would be advised to exercise the utmost clemency in contemplated executions.