TNAG-0837-FCO40-1045-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1981 — Page 42

DSR 11

Registry

No. HKG 380/2 DRAFT Submission

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Pop-Secret,

Sacrat.

To:-

Mr Stratton

Type 1 +

From

Mr McLaren Telephone No. Ext.

Confidential.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

Department

CC

WIAD

MCD

In Confidence

Mr Rushford

Mr Hall

Mr Cortazzi

Sir A Duff

PS/PUS

PS/Blaker

Capital Punishment in the Dependent Territories

1. The case of Dimas Monroy in Belize (see my submission

) and the recent House of Commons dǝbate

of

on capital punishment for murder in the UK, have served

to highlight the fact that this penalty still exists in

some dependent territories.

2.

Despite requests to consider abolition, even for a trial

period, as a result of debates in the UK Parliament in

1965 and 1970, the following territories have chosen to

retain capital punishment for murder. The year of the

last execution is given in brackets.

Belize

(1974)

Bermuda

(1977)

British Virgin Is

(1972)

Cayman Is

(1928)

Hong Kong

(1966)

Montserrat

(1960)

(1946)

Turks & Caicos Is

In Bermuda, the House of Assembly voted as recently as July

for retention by a narrow majority of 1; the last

execution here before 1977 was 1943.

Prerogative of Mercy

3. The Royal prerogative has been expressly delegated to

Governors (but this does not entirely deprive the Crown

of