TNAG-0931-FCO40-1149-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1980 — Page 93

DER 11 (Revised)

t

CONFIDENTIAL

minute/lew/lchentor/despatch/man

DRAFT:

FROM:

Mr Ridley

DEPARTMENT:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Secretary of State

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

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Unclassified

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1-+-

Reference

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PS/Mr Hurd

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SUBJECT:

..In Confidence 1.

CAVEAT.....

Enclosures-flag(s).................

PS/Mr Blaker

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

The attached submission from HKGD outlines possible prob-

lems which may occur over the exercise of capital punishment

in the dependent territories.

2. The issues were reviewed earlier this year;

you decided

to uphold the status quo. Briefly, HMG are faced with the

dilemma of whether to allow certain dependent territories to

continue their present policy of retaining capital punishmen

for murder, which differs with UK policy, and risk subjectin

themselves to pressure from national and local abolitionists

or whether to overrule the local Legislatures by abolishing

capital punishment from London, so jeopardising our relation

with the territories concerned. I do not believe that the

situation has changed since February or that any change in

policy is justified.

3. The issue has, however, come to the fore again, particu-

larly in the British Virgin Islands where the Governor is

concerned at having to take a decision on whether to commute

or not. The feeling in favour of capital punishment runs

very high in those territories which retain it; the possi-

bility of civil disturbance exists, particularly if the

sentence is commuted by the Governor in controversial

/circumstances

CONFIDENTIAL