FURTHER RELEASES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27389, 15 May 1950, Page 5

FURTHER RELEASES

Japanese War Criminals PROTEST FROM SOVIET NZPA—Copyright Rec. 7.50 p.m. TOKIO, May 14. Six more Japanese war criminals will be released from Sugamo prison on May 19 on parole. All were convicted of afflicting cruelty on Allied nationals in Shanghai and Japan. Each has completed about half of a five or six-year sentence. Twelve of the 382 applications for release by convicted war criminals have now been granted by the Parole Board. A Washington reports says Russia yesterday protested to the United States against the action of General MacArthur in permitting the release of war criminals before the expiration of their sentences. The Note, delivered to the State Department by the Soviet Ambassador, Mr Alexander Panyushkin. described General MacArthur’s action as a “ gross violation of the elementary standards and principles of international law.” The Note, which was made public by the Soviet Embassy, contended that General MacArthur’s order was an attempt td upset the verdicts of the 11-Nation Military Tribunal, and asked the United States immediately to undertake measures to abrogate the order. It argues that General MacArthur had authority to reduce or alter sentences imposed by the tribunal only at the time the sentences came before him for approval on November 24, 1948, and lacked authority to review them subsequently. The Note said General MacArthur’s order affected 16 major war criminals. A State Department spokesman later rejected Russia’s charges. He said that it was the United States Government’s view that General MacArthur, as the sole executive authority for the Allied Powers in Japan, had the right of granting narole to all war criminals tried bv the International Military Tribunal. The tribunal’s charter and the policy decision of the Far Eastern Commission placed on General MacArthur the responsibility for carrying out the judgments ,of any international courts appointed by him.