29/6/25
Flag A
22
Flag B
35
:
•
Mr Stapley
PS/Mr Rowlands
Wester
not passe
The questio
HKG 380/1 39
of siali
changing Me law. Ponce was
ceptue
DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: BELIZE
1.
In paragraph 2 of my submission of 27 May, I mentioned the Prerogative of Mercy Committee in Belize was likely to advise the Governor that the law should take its course in the case of Leopold Jones.
رشال
2. The Governor of Belize has now reported (Belize telegram personal no. 59 of 23 June) that there is now a fair chance that the advice he will receive from his Prerogative of Mercy Committe will allow him to exercise his prerogative in the Jones' case, This is evidently the result of Mr Rowlands having told the Premier of Belize that HMG would be caused difficulties if a death sentence was carried out in Belize. In view of this Mr Rowlands may wish to see the Governor of Belize's telegram.
28 June 1977
CC:
Mr Cortazzi
Mr Preston (MCD)
welltak
شا
зави
J A B Stewart
Hong Kong & General Dept
B
?
If it turns out, as Mr McEntee foresees, that the Mercy Committee recommend in favour of the prerogative, we should be able to take the next logical step, namely to suggest to the Belize Government that they consider abolishing the death penalty. If they did, we might find it easier to persuade the other Dependent Territories which still have a death penalty to do likewise.
2. I suggest however that we should for the time being leave matters to take their course in Belize and only consider what further step we might take after Mr McEntee has reported the recommendations of and attitudes in his Mercy Committee. Another important element in the
/general
SECRET