TNAG-0600-FCO40-748-Capital-punishment-in-Dependent-Territories-1977 — Page 130

CODE 18.77

Mr Sanders

Research Department

G6/3

(91

HKG 380/1

Reference......

CONFIDENTIAL

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

As you may be aware the Prime Minister has set up a Committee to consider the question of capital punishment in the Dependent Territories.

1.

2.

The first meeting of the Committee concluded yesterday afternoon with the request for additional material to support the Secretary of State's memorandum on capital punishment.

3.

With regard to the necessary supporting material I have been asked to ask your Department to provide a list giving the dates of all the executions which have taken place in those former British Dependencies which have become independent since capital punishment was abolished in the United Kingdom.

I would be grateful if you could arrange to provide this information by Wednesday 10 August.

4.

5.

You may wish to know that in arranging to provide material for the Committee we have just conducted an exercise of telegraphing all Dependent Territories which retain capital punishment with the object of obtaining dates of their last executions. The position is:-

Dependent Terrtitory

Date of last

Execution

Bermuda

1943

Belize

1974

British Virgin Islands

1972

Cayman Islands

1928

Hong Kong

Montserrat

1966

1960

5 August 1977

Gre 1946

J S Jasper

Hong Kong and General Department K270

233-4069

CONFIDENTIAL