DER 11 (Revised)
t
CONFIDENTIAL
minute/lew/lchentor/despatch/man
DRAFT:
FROM:
Mr Ridley
DEPARTMENT:
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
TO:
Secretary of State
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
TEL. NO:
TYPE: Draft/Final 1-+-
Reference
Your Reference
Copies to:
PS/LPS
PS/Mr Hurd
PS/Mr Luce
PRIVACY MARKING
SUBJECT:
..In Confidence 1.
CAVEAT.....
Enclosures-flag(s).................
PS/Mr Blaker
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
The attached submission from HKGD outlines possible prob-
lems which may occur over the exercise of capital punishment
in the dependent territories.
2. The issues were reviewed earlier this year;
you decided
to uphold the status quo. Briefly, HMG are faced with the
dilemma of whether to allow certain dependent territories to
continue their present policy of retaining capital punishmen
for murder, which differs with UK policy, and risk subjectin
themselves to pressure from national and local abolitionists
or whether to overrule the local Legislatures by abolishing
capital punishment from London, so jeopardising our relation
with the territories concerned. I do not believe that the
situation has changed since February or that any change in
policy is justified.
3. The issue has, however, come to the fore again, particu-
larly in the British Virgin Islands where the Governor is
concerned at having to take a decision on whether to commute
or not. The feeling in favour of capital punishment runs
very high in those territories which retain it; the possi-
bility of civil disturbance exists, particularly if the
sentence is commuted by the Governor in controversial
/circumstances
CONFIDENTIAL