The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-26
SOVIETS ALLOW
TREASON CASES
TO Be APPEALED
French Prompted Polish
Spying In Ukraine
lspeeIaI 70 The Daily W0rkerl

MOSCOW, April IL (By MaiD.-
The execution of the verdict passed
in the Kiev espionage trial Of the So
called Regional Centre of Action"
has been suspended and the case has
been referred to the supreme court.
The charge brought against the ac-
cused was that of high treason and
espionage for the Polish general staff.
Allowed Amnesty Plea.
The accused Czebankoff, YakovIeff,
Edinovsky, Vinogradova have been
sentenced to capital punishment;
Onistshenko, Smirnoff and Tolpyga,
to ten years in prison; Anna Kapucin-
skaya, to seven years; Leonida and
Vengeroff, to five years conditionally
(the sentence has been suspended);
Maria Kapusinskaya, to one year.
also conditionally; Yaslovsky has
been acquitted. The accused were al
lowed to appeal within forty-eight
hours and ask the Central Ukrainian
Central Committee for amnesty.
Interest Turnout Union.
The public thruout the Union Of
Soviet Republics have been closely
following the case which has amply
evidenced that the activities of the
Kiev Centre" were directed from
Paris. the espionage being organized
in the interest of the Polish general
staff. The spying activities of some
of the professors now sentenced have
aroused the greatest indignation
among the intellectual circles.
Under such conditions, Mr.. Poin-
care's telegram, addressed to Mr..
Chicherin and received before the
sentence was passed, was most unex-
pected. The French Premier, on be-
half of the French professors and in
the name of civilization and humanity,
requested that the Kiev professors
members of the said spying organ
ization-be not liable to be FURNISHED.
Poineare TeIegraphs.
Writing in the Izvestia, Mr.. Sick
loft calls this telegram of Mr.. Poin-
cares an act of direct interference
with Russian internal affairs, and a
tactless step, revealing in it's full
light how greatly the French premier
is concerned with supporting the
White Guardist elements and. espion-
age in the Soviet Republics. The au-
thor derides the Humanitarian
feelings iof the late interventionists.
1t should further be noted that not
single one of the professors, mem
bers of the Centre" has been SEN
fenced to capital punishment not
even Smirnoff, who confessed that
he transmitted espionage reports.
Condemned DepIore French Action.
A group of the condemned issued
the following statement in the local
press: Whereas, we have learned of
the telegram sent by Mr.. Poincare,
requesting that the sentence passed
on some of us be committed and
whereas, we are depressed by the
heavy sentence-we consider as quite
inadmissible any interference of a
foreign government with the internal
affairs of the Republic. Looking upon
our trial as matter purely of the
internal life of the Soviet Union--we
are waiting for the supreme organs of
our Republic to ultimately decide on
our fate" This statement is signed
by twelve of the accused.
One of the principal figures in the
trial, the accused Onistehenke adds to
the foregoing resolution: 1.-THE heavy
sentence passed on us shall weigh on
the conscience of those who drew us
into political work, directed against
the workers and peasants and made
us bad criminals in the eyes of all
the toilers and in our own con.
science"
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