Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎79v] (158/644)

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any otlier religion would be a breach of this undertaking and might also be treated
as an act of espionnage ! The mission also had trouble over the demands of the
police for admission to the communion services, to which only confirmed members
of the Church are admitted. The police argued that any gathering from which
their officials were excluded was an illegal assembly, but Dr. Dodson, the senior
medical missionary, later persuaded the chief of police not to press the point.
Roman Catholic.
377. Two English Dominican Fathers, Father Rice and Father Blencowe,
came out to Persia in the autumn with the intention of establishing a mission at
Shiraz, where they hoped to get in touch with Persian dervishes. They took two
bungalows in the former telegraphs compound and set to work, but just before the
close of the year a report was received that they had met with some opposition and
that their chapel had been closed. Their intention was to keep the mission, if
they could, exclusively staffed by English priests. Father Rice, who was formerly
in the Levant A geographical area corresponding to the region around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. consular service, was attached to the Apostolic delegation in Tehran
for some years previous to 1931.
(M) Proceedings against British Subjects.
General.
378. The following list is not exhaustive. Only those cases which present
special features have been recorded.
Mr. F. C. Deacon and Mr. G. F. Fiinde.
379. On the 9th November Mr. Deacon and Mr. Hinde, employees of the
Anglo-Persian Oil Company, visited a tanker lying at one of the jetties at
Abadan. They came ashore after an interval and then went on board again. As
they were coming ashore the second time, a customs official searched Mr. Deacon
and found 500 cigarettes on his person. Another 500 cigarettes were found in
Mr. Hinde's motor car on the jetty. The two employees admitted the charge of
smuggling, and Mr. Deacon was fined 669 rials.
380. The customs authorities stated, in addition, that both Mr. Deacon and
Mr. Hinde assaulted the man who made the search, and that, subsequently, while
he was proceeding with them to customs headquarters, he was violently pushed
from the step of Mr. Hinde’s motor car, on which he was riding, and left
unconscious in the road. Mr. Deacon and Mr. Hinde denied all knowledge of
these proceedings. It was understood that they would be brought to trial in due
course.
Mr. P. A. E. Penning.
381. Mr. Penning was again tried for issuing worthless cheques and
condemned in June to four months’ imprisonment. On his release he was
repatriated to the United Kingdom with funds left by the Indo-European
Telegraph Company with His Majesty’s consulate in 1931 to cover his eventual
passage home. Mr. Penning was the first European British subject in Persia to
be condemned to imprisonment.
Karim Dad and Sahib Jan.
382. In July 1932 two gatherers of asafoetida, named Karim Dad and
Sahib Jan, both in very poor circumstances, were arrested at Zahedan on a charge
of smuggling cloth. After they had been in prison at Birjand for six months, and
then only as the result of constant complaints by His Majesty’s consular officers
in East Persia and, later, by His Majesty’s Legation, Karim Dad was released
without a charge being preferred. Sahib Jan, having been tried and sentenced
to six months’ imprisonment, was released about the same time.
His Majesty's Consul at Kermanshah.
383. The appeal of Reuben Lalezar was heard at Kermanshah on the 19th
March. Dr. Naficy was present, and again used the line of argument set forth in
paragraphs 535 and 536 of the 1932 annual report. The court held that, though
consuls were not entitled to diplomatic privilege, actions performed by them in