TNAG-1923-FCO40-2728-Capital-punishment-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 34

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From:

NA Thorne

17

M15

Mr Frithey M Ham

Assistants in all

Geographical Departments

United Nations Department

Date:

16 May 1989

CC:

PS/Mr Eggar

PS/Sir J Fretwell

Mr Slater

Mr Brenton, UND

THE DEATH PENALTY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN

1.

v.

...

Mr Word Ne R1 18/5

Misy Marosen Wils

On 24 April, Amnesty launched its latest campaign with the publication of a report "When the State Kills

The death penalty human rights". The report argues against the death penalty, not only in circumstances which contravene agreed standards, but in all cases. It then surveys the use of the death penalty in all countries and dependent territories (180 in all), listing for each country:

2.

a) practice regarding the death penalty (eg abolished for all

but exceptional crimes);

b) the number of executions recorded by Amnesty for the last

three years;

c) other factors (eg unfair trial, execution of minors,

executions in public); and

d) methods of execution.

The report makes gruesome reading. It received wide publicity in the media on publication. Mr Eggar has already answered one PQ arising from it and we can expect, as the campaign continues, to come under pressure to make representations to a number of countries about their use of the death penalty. We understand from Amnesty International British Section that while their campaign will cover all countries which use the death penalty, they will be concentrating on seven countries which, according to Amnesty's own figures, are among the ten biggest users of the death penalty. are (with Amnesty's figures for the number of executions 1985

-

mid-1988): Iraq (hundreds every year); Iran (743+); South Africa (537+); Nigeria (439+); China (500+); USA (66); and USSR (63+). The three other countries in the "top ten" are Somalia (150+); Saudi Arabia (140); and Pakistan (115+).

They

3. We rarely make representations to other governments about the death penalty as such, but we have occasionally made appeals for the commutation of death sentences, particularly with the

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