TNAG-0722-FCO40-920-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 49

417100

HKC 386)

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN PENSITY NO. 51

25 JUL 1978

HL

Action Taken

Mr Cortari

No

$74 174

Se

бе

PS/Mr Rolands

Call now

HOLD (259)

arranged for Tues 25 July

3.00pm.

my

A/.

Mr Edge has Carrelled his BU 24 July appointment for today Now. His secretary will ring again next week Hold & Buone week.

244) CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: LETTER FROM MR GEOFFREY EDGE MP

Flag A

29

Flag B

Flag C A3

Flag D

See memo

my another week, my 12/1.

No call. Bu another w

1. Mr Geoffrey Edge MP (Labour Aldridge, Brownhills) is to see Mr Rowlands at 4 pm on Tuesday 4 July about the abolition of capital punishment in the Dependent Overseas Territories. He has been approached by Mr Colin Bagnall, who first wrote to the Secretary of State following the executions in Bermuda last

December.

2. Mr Judd replied to Mr Bagnall on 12 January. Mr Bagnall was not satisfied with this reply and has since been in corres- pondence with my predecessor in this Department, Mr Stewart. Mr Bagnall has been particularly insistent that he should be given details of the steps which Ministers have taken or are planning to take to avoid any further executions in Dependent Territories. In a letter of 1 March Mr Stewart explained that he was not in a position to provide this information since the matter was still under consideration within the Government.

3.

When the subject of capital punishment in the Dependent Territories was discussed in Cabinet on 23 February, Ministers decided that it would be inopportune to raise the matter in Parliament at the present time. I attach an extract from the minutes of the meeting; Mr Rowlands may wish to draw on this in explaining the political background to the problem. I also attach a short speaking note setting out the constitutional

background.

4.

Mr Edge may mention the Gaston case in the British Virgin Islands. The Governor's decision to commute the death sentence in this case is not due to be announced publicly until 5 July and it would be improper for Mr Rowlands to inform Mr Edge of it in advance, even in confidence. But he may wish to indicate that the decision is imminent, and to say that we are quite certain that the Governor will give due weight to the psychiatrists' reports on Gaston's mental condition.

CC: PS

PS/PUS

Sir A Duff Mr Stratton

WIAD

Lulunghun

R JT McLaren

CONFIDENTIAL

Hong Kong and General Department

4 July 1978