нка 386)
RECEN
16 FEB 1978
DESK Or
INDEX
No
159
нкого
1. 51
ISTRY
:con Taken
LL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
16 February 1978
134)
Thank you for your letter of 30 January regarding the resolution
from the West Derbyshire Constituency Labour Party.
When capital punishment for murder was abolished in this country
in 1969, the Governments of our remaining Dependent Overseas
Territories were invited to introduce similar legislation in their
Seven of them declined to do so. Hitherto, it
own Territories.
has been the policy of successive British Governments to leave the
decision on this question to the Governments of the Territories
concerned. But, as I said in answering questions following my
statement to the House on 5 December about the Bermuda executions,
the Government are prepared to review the policy on Capital
Punishment in the Dependent Territories if that is Parliament's wish.
Bermuda's constitutional status is, of course, quite different
from that of Rhodesia. Bermuda introduced a new constitution
in 1968 which was amended in 1973. Bermuda now has an advanced
form of internal self-government and the British Government retain
responsibility only for defence, external affairs, internal
security and the police. British troops were despatched to
Bermuda to help restore order at the request of the Governor, who
is responsible to the British Government for internal security.
request was made with the full support of the Bermuda Government.
His
The resolution also condemned the Government's "failure to take
action to prevent the illegal execution of British subjects by the
Rhodesian regime". Although I deeply deplore such acts, we must
/face
Ms Jenny Little
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