petitioned Her for mercy, and in whose favour the Governor had not
felt able to exercise his own delegated Prerogative.
This decision
was taken in the light of very special political circumstances in the United Kingdom at the time, because the case coincided with parliamentary discussion on the issue of capital punishment both in itself and in its application to Northern Ireland.
B.
Capital Punishment in independent countries near Dependent Territories where death penalty is retained
4. Excluding Hong Kong, all the dependencies in which the death The neighbouring penalty is retained are in the Caribbean area. countries in question are: Grenada and the West Indian Associated States, and Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Venezuela.
5.
We have no accurate information readily available on the
We know retention of capital punishment in all these countries.
that it exists in Guatemala, Columbia, Grenada and in all the Associated States, and that it has been abolished in Costa Rica.
We believe that it is retained in all or nearly all of the others.
Capital Punishment in Commonwealth countries
C.
6. Only Australia and New Zealand have abolished capital
punishment.
Canada has abolished it except in cases of murder of
All other members of the Commonwealth
a Police or Prison Officer. have retained it. Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria have recently extended it to include punishment for armed robbery.
D.
Retention of Capital Punishment in Dependent Territories
7. The Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Act 1965 which received the Royal Assent on 8 November 1965, provided for the /abolition
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