TNAG-0720-FCO40-918-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 91

............In Confidence

CONFIDENTIAL

DRAFT

MEMORANDUM

To:-

GEN 103(78)

Type 1 +

From

CABINET

MINISTERIAL GROUP ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

Telephone No. Ext.

MEMORANDUM BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Department

DSR11

1.

1977

In GEN 103 on 13 Octoberjwe agreed on the desirability of a change in policy concerning capital punishment in the dependent overseas territories but decided that change while the Bermuda case was outstanding might be disadvantageous.

2. In the event I felt that I had no alternative but to advise The Queen not to intervene in the Bermuda case and the executions took place on 2 December 1977. They were followed by public disturbances in Bermuda and we had to send troop reinforcements from Britain. The executions aroused considerable parliamentary, press and public interest here and we are now committed to a debate in the House on this question by Michael Foot's statement on

8 December and to a lesser extent by my answers following my statement of 5 December.

3. I have again given consideration to ways in which our policy could be changed to have the desired effect. I have thought about making a personal appeal either to the local legislatures or to the Premiers to introduce their own legislation to abolish capital punishment.

1

CONFIDENTIAL

Such a

/course

Dd 108087 400M S&K 1/77