Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎150r] (299/442)

1959
the Government nor the public,” says the
official or semi-official organ of the Govern
ment. It is admittedly the official gazette.
Everybody who has been in Egypt knows
that it speaks on behalf of the Govern
ment, and stands in relation to the Govern
ment as a semi-official organ, like certain
organs in Germany do to the Government
there.
u A free Press in this country is an absurdity, and we
are sure that even if that "prince of journalists,’as is
now called the late Mr Stead, had succeeded in starting
a daily paper here (in Cairo"), he would very soon have
had to submit to be muzzled or depart.”
I have no doubt that is quite true. Those
are the methods by which the calm has
been produced which was boasted of in
the “Times” of 3rd July. It is a rather
extraordinary and sinister fact that in the
“Times” of 5th July that there appeared
a statement from its Cairo correspondent
that a plot had been discovered in Egypt
to murder Lord Kitchener, the Khedive,
and some of his Ministers; and on 9th
July there appeared the following para
graph in the “Times” from its Cairo
•correspondent:—
11 The investigations which are being conducted have
revealed the existence of a secret society, and the
Nationalist party is seriously compromised. Startling
discoveries have been made, but their publication is
‘improbable on account of reasons of State.”
I say that if startling discoveries have been
made of a far-reaching character, and if
they have to be suppressed on account of
reasons of State, that we are entitled to
ask the Government to make a statement
as to what the nature of the discoveries is,
and what is their extraordinary character
as described in the “ Times.” Another
English journal gives us an inkling into the
nature of these discoveries. Men who have
lived in Ireland as long as I have will prob
ably allow that they are startling because
they give us some idea of the system that
grows up in a country where there is no
free Press. Here is the sort of thing that
the Cairo correspondent of the “ Daily
Mail ” sends. He proceeds to describe the
startling discoveries:
“ Fresh details of the conspiracy to assassinate Lord
"Kitchener, the Khedive, and the Premier, which resulted
in the arrest of four Egyptians, are now to hand. Last
month four men met at the tomb of Wardani, the
assassain of the late Premier, and took a solemn oath
to destroy the enemies of their party.”
How on earth did they find out about these
four men, and the nature of their oath ?
“ One of them undertook to assassinate the Khedive
another Lord Kitchener, and a third the Premier, while
the fourth volunteered to replace any one of them who
failed in his design. The police had been watching the
conspirators, though not aware of all their designs.
Last week one of them suddenly left for Alexandria,
and two detectives accompanied him. . _ . On Satur-
-day evening, four young men met in a cafe in
•Cairo ”
Foreign Office. 1960
To hatch this conspiracy:—
“They were followed by detectives disguised as
peasants, who were, however, unable to overhear their
conversation owing to the thickness of the wall of the
room in which they met. Finally, on Monday night the
police saw them go by tramcar to a cafe in the suburbs,
and again they were followed by detectives disguised
as peasants. The conspirators sat in the open at a
table next to a screen of trees, and the detectives who
were hidden behind the trees were able to overhear
their conversation. It is alleged that the plotters
discussed the choice of arms with which their enemies
should be assassinated. One of them suggested dyna
mite, but this suggestion was over-ruled, and revolvers
were decided upon. The arrests were made immediately
afterwards.”
That is a very nice story—a story in which,
on the face of it, there appears to be very
little probability. These men selected an
open place with the convenient shelter of
tress quite close by for the detectives to
hear when their discussion of the details
of the plot was going on ! Finally they are
brought up before the magistrate. Then,
in the “Times” of 10th July, we read that
the evidence given against them was that
of two Alexandrine Europeans. I would
not hang a dog upon their evidence. These
men testified that Hassan Kamel informed
them of his intention to assassinate a high
personage. Why have I brought this for
ward 1 Mainly because, from a very care
ful study of the proceedings at the Den-
shawi trial, I deliberately assert that no
person in Egypt charged with any crime
having the slightest colour of politics can
get anything approaching a fair trial.
What is the nature of the trial that these
men will be subjected to? They will be
tried before removable judges, hostile to
them, and absolutely at the mercy of Lord
Kitchener and the Government, and who
can be dismissed with a month’s notice if
they do not do the work of the Govern
ment. They will have no jury, and no fair
play as regards independent coupsel.
Therefore I say that these unfor
tunate men will be placed at the
risk of their lives without any proper
security for a fair trial. The right hon.
Gentleman has told me, in reply to a ques
tion, that he expected to have a report of
this trial. I earnestly appeal to him to con
sider the question of justice in Egypt at
the present time, where no man has the
slightest chance, if a political prisoner or
charged with a political offence, of a fair
trial. I appeal to him to lay promptly on
the Table of this House all the informa
tion he can obtain of the nature of the
offences brought against these men. I ask
him also to tell us, frankly and fully, what
is the nature of the tribunal, and what are
the rights to be given to these men, before
Supply (Committee). 10 July 1912