TNAG-0600-FCO40-748-Capital-punishment-in-Dependent-Territories-1977 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

3.

The Governor's understanding with his Executive Council is

not water-tight, however, and in response to local

pressure to restore the use of the death penalty the Governor had to announce in late 1975 that whenever he commuted a

death sentence he would impose the alternative punishment of life imprisonment unless exceptional circumstances justified a lesser punishment. Public opininn in Hong Kong remains strongly in favour of the death penalty. Although there was no strong reaction to the executions in Belize and the British Virgin Islands fin 1974 and 1972, again because of the lack of publicity, the Governor's assessment is that there would be criticism in Hong Kong

if a death sentence were now to be carried out in another

dependent territory.

5. It is the firm policy of the British Government to help to independence all the remaining dependent territories, There are problems, in some cases insuperable, over the implementation of this policy (Hong Kong and Belize). On the other hand, some of the remaining dependencies are

reluctant for their own reasons to proceed to independence although there is no reason why they should not do so. In these cases local Governments could well be told that

to remain a dependency implies certain constraints on their behaviour to be set against the very palpable benefits which they gain from their continuuing connection with the United Kingdom. As for those dependencies which cannot be given independence for reasons outside their own control but which retain the death penalty, they too must accept that links and dependency on a metropolitan power must necessarily entail some disadvantages.

6. The need to consider changing the present system is made urgent by the fact that sentences of death have been passed on two convicted murderers in Bermuda, The local Prerogative of Mercy Committee has advised that the law should take its course and the Aoting Governor has so far

decided not to commute. An application for special leave to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

CONFIDENTIAL