TNAG-0487-FCO40-552-Review-of-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 38

8.

In 1965 the then Secretary of State for the Colonies

invited the Governments of Dependent Territories to consider the

introduction of similar legislation in their territories.

9. Again in 1970 the then Secretary of State for Foreign and

Commonwealth Affairs requested Governors of Dependent Territories

to "take note of the recent changes in the law of the United

Kingdom and consider whether changes can now be introduced in the

legislation in force in your territory to bring it into line with

the present law in the United Kingdom".

10. The Legislatures of the following dependent territories declined

both in 1965 and 1970 to amend their law to abolish capital punish-

ment for murder, and therefore still retain the death penalty:

Bermuda

Belize

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Montserrat

Turks and Caicos Islands

and

Hong Kong

(the only British Dependent Territory without elected unofficial members in the Legislature)

11. The Governors of these territories all confirmed as recently as

April 1973 that there had been no change in the attitudes of the

Legislatures concerned. As the decision to abolish capital punishment

in the United Kingdom was taken on a free vote in Parliament, (and

the penalty is still retained on the Isle of Man and the Channel

in which there is an elected legislature Islands), it would be illogical in Dependent Territories to override

local opinion on the retention of capital punishment.

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