7323 D073615 280M 4/74 Cr.P.C. 839/3
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
DRAFT
LETTER
To:-
Russell Johnston Esq IF House of Commons
Type 1 +
FROM
Kiss Lestor Telephone No. Ext.
Restricted. Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
Department
]. I am replying to your letter of 28 February to David Ennals about capital punishment in our Dependent
Territories.
2.
Capital Funishment for murder is still retained in those Dependencies whose elected legislatures have expressed a desire to keep it. They are:
Belize
Turks and Caicos Islands
liontserrat
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Bermuda
As you know capital punishment was abolished in the United Kingdom (but not in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands) on a free vote in Farliament, and it was therefore logical to allow the elected legislatures in the Dependent Territories the same right of decision We know from recent enquiries that public opinion in these Territories, reflected in their elected legislatures, remains strongly in favour of the retention of capital punishment. The governments of these territories have a very considerable degree of autonomy in internal affairs, and it would certainly give rise to a constitutional crisis if HMG were to seek to impose abolition of capital punishment on them by Act of Parliament or Order in Council in the face of the strongly held views of their legislatures.
3. The Queen's Frerogative of Mercy is delegated to the Governor of a Dependent Territory which retains capital punishment, and rests in his undivided discretion, although before taking his decision whether a sentence of death should be commuted or carried out,
1.
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