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MOTION FOR THE WHITSUN ADJOURNMENT
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
BACKGROUND NOTE
1.
Creech-Jones doctrine, known after the Colonial
Secretary who set the policy out in statement in December 1947.
Capital punishment' is retained as the penalty for murder in the
following seven British Dependent Territories (the year of the
last execution in each territory is given in brackets):
Anguilla (1924)
Bermuda (1977)
British Virgin Islands (1972)
Cayman Islands (1928)
.Hong Kong (1966)
Montserrat (1960)
Turks and Caicos Islands (1946)
2.
Difference in treatment of Hong Kong and other
territories recently received some attention in Hong Kong
press but no pressure for change. Reversion to allowing law
to take its course in Hong Kong would, in Governor's view,
cause serious difficulties. Different treatment could be
justified on the political grounds that Hong Kong does not
have an elected legislature.