TNAG-0554-FCO40-649-Review-of-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 211

abolition of capital punishment of persons convicted in Great

Britain of murder for a period of 5 years. In December 1969, on

a free vote, Parliament resolved that the Act should not expire.

Capital punishment was thus permanently abolished for persons

convicted of murder in Great Britain.

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:-

11.

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)

The Governors of these territories all confirmed as recently

/ as April 1973

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