TNAG-0721-FCO40-919-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 5

From: His Excellency The Hon Sir Peter Ramsbotham, GCMG GCVO.

198

HKG 38671

Government House

Bermuda

RECENT

20.51

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

July

Nevois

- 3 APR 1978

DESK O INDEX

No

REGISTRY

Action Teken

Qalt

9/4 S

DGO 1/6

9 spoke to Miss Hunt, who 27 March, 1978 confirmed that the PUS was about to send the letter to Governors. HA H Cortazzi Esq, CMG We had better await a copy of this, before drafting a reply

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

to Sir Peter Ramsbothan

Dear Stugh

THE CREECH JONES DOCTRINE

02414 Mr Slipart

For draff

197

See 212

+ 215

reply joleare

I was grateful for your letter of 24 March, forewarning me that Ministers have decided "for the time being" not to go ahead with a formal review of the Creech Jones doctrine.

-

Bliv

I am not quite clear, however, whether you intended to imply that the doctrine will probably still be reviewed in due course and, if so, what you now expect the timing to be. I also wonder whether, meanwhile, further consideration is being given to another possibility which was mooted at one time, that capital punishment in dependent territories be abolished by U.K. legislation?

All this is rather more than idle curiosity. Contrary to my earlier expectations (and contrary, therefore, to what I must have said to you), there now seems quite likely to be another difficult case here, sometime later this year. Peter Lloyd sent Patrick Duff preliminary details about it on 1 March.

CC:

DGO 14/3/6

DGO 14/3/25

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PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

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