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CONFIDENTIAL
iii) The pressure on Governors (under oath to
uphold the laws of their territory) to hang a convicted man who has neither local support or is
from off-island is intense.
iv) In some cases the grounds for commutation by
the Governor are too thin to be sustainable in the
face of local opposition.
v) If the Governor does decide to commute in such
cases, his authority and credibility in other
matters affecting our interests may be brought into question.
vi) Per contra, if a Governor were to decide not to exercise the prerogative of mercy, thereby acceding to popular opinion, we risk constitutional conflict
if we attempt to over rule him.
vii) The "wrong" decision in local eyes can cause a
breakdown in law and order cf Bermuda 1977 and BVI
in 1978.
viii) The UK is in an embarrassing position, as it is constitutionally unable to intervene in one ot
its own Dependent Territories on behalf of a British
subject sentenced to death.
How to Proceed
3. There are two options
two options for ensuring that no more
executions may take place: -
CONFIDENTIAL
/a)
I
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