TNAG-0719-FCO40-917-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 60

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HKGD

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

.་

HKG 386/1

RECEIVED IN MY NO. 51

12 JAN 1978

DESK OFAGER

INDEX

PA

No

EL

REGISTRY Action Taken

be

1 2 JAN 1977

I am sorry I have not been able to reply earlier to your

letter of 10 December about the executions in Bermuda but I have

been away for a short break and I wanted to reply to you personally.

Bermuda has almost complete internal self-government and the

administration of justice is an internal matter, under the control

of the Bermudian Government. Under the policy which has been

accepted for many years by successive British Governments,

the

Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary can only intervene in a

particular case of capital punishment if he has grounds to believe there has been a miscarriage of justice.

In the cases of the two

The fact

convicted murderers, Burrows and Tacklyn, I could find no evidence to suggest that a miscarriage of justice had occurred. that I am a convinced abolitionist was not something I could take

into account.

I do, however, consider, as I told the House of Commons on

5 December, that I think the House should reflect on the underlying issue of principle posed by the retention of the death penalty-in dependent territories.

Edmund M Johnston Esq

(DAVID OWEN)

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