View source for Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991
| type                  = Statutory Instrument
| parliament            =
| year                  = 1991
| citation              = [[SI 1991]]/988
| introduced_commons    =
| introduced_lords      =
| territorial_extent    = {{ubli|{{flag|Anguilla}}|{{flag|British Virgin Islands}}|{{flag|Cayman Islands}}|{{flag|Montserrat}}|{{flag|Turks and Caicos Islands}} }}
| si_made_date          = 16 April 1991
| si_laid_date          = 16 April 1991
| commencement          = 10 May 1991
| expiry_date           =
| repeal_date           =
| amends                =
| replaces              =
| primary_legislation   = {{ubli|[[West Indies Act 1962]]|[[Anguilla Act 1980]]}}
| eu_directives         =
| amendments            =
| repealing_legislation =
| related_legislation   =
| status                = current
| legislation_history   =
| theyworkforyou        =
| millbankhansard       =
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/988/contents/made
| revised_text          =
| use_new_UK-LEG        =
| UK-LEG_title          =
| collapsed             =
}}
The '''Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991''' (1991 No. 988) is an [[Order-in-Council]] issued by the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] abolishing the death penalty for murder in the [[British Overseas Territories|British Dependent Territories]] in the Caribbean.
== History ==
The United Kingdom abolished the death penalty for murder in 1969.<ref name="cr">{{cite book|title=8 Out of 10 Brits: Intriguing and Useless Statistics about the World's 79th Largest Nation|last=Croker|first=Charlie|publisher=Random House|year=2010|isbn=978-0099532866|page=175}}</ref> However this abolition was not extended to the [[Crown colony|Crown colonies]].<ref name=g>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/jan/15/trinidad-waits-on-british-judges-death-row-ruling-as-murders-soar |title=Trinidad waits on British judges' death row ruling as murders soar |work=The Guardian |date=2018-01-15 |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref> The reason for them not being included was due to local favour of retaining the death penalty. Such was the strength of feeling that in 1978, the [[Royal Navy]] sent a warship to the [[British Virgin Islands]] in preparation for any unrest after the [[Governor of the British Virgin Islands]] elected to commute death sentences.<ref name=g />
== Law ==
In 1991, the [[Governor of Anguilla]] [[Brian Canty]] had come under local criticism for commuting the death sentence of a Grenadan prisoner against the advice of the Prerogative of Mercy Committee of the Anguillian Executive Council.<ref name=ta /> He was also due to oversee another planned execution where no recommendation for [[Royal Prerogative of Mercy|mercy]] was made, when a [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] minister called him saying they were planning to abolish the death penalty in the British Caribbean territories. The Governor requested the order be expedited so he did not have to carry out the execution.<ref name=ta>{{cite web|url=https://theanguillian.com/2013/01/former-governor-writes-memoirs-of-anguilla-abolishing-flogging-prisoners-and-death-penalty/ |title=FORMER GOVERNOR WRITES MEMOIRS OF ANGUILLA Abolishing Flogging Prisoners And Death Penalty |work=The Anguillian |date= |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref> [[Queen Elizabeth II]] issued the Order-in-Council abolishing the death penalty for murder in the UK's dependent territories of [[Anguilla]], the [[British Virgin Islands]], the [[Cayman Islands]], [[Montserrat]] and the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/988/made |title=The Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991 |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Naldi | first=Gino J. | title=The Prohibition on the Death Penalty in International Law | journal=Netherlands International Law Review | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=38 | issue=3 | year=1991 | issn=0165-070X | doi=10.1017/s0165070x00005593 | page=373 }}</ref> [[Bermuda]] was not included in the order due to having [[Self-governing colony|self-governance]].<ref name=b>{{cite web|url=https://bernews.com/2010/04/bring-the-death-penalty-back-we-cant/ |title="Bring back the death penalty" – We can't... |publisher=Bernews.com |date=2010-04-11 |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref> They would later abolish the death penalty for murder in 1999 following an act of the [[Parliament of Bermuda]].<ref name=b /> The Turks and Caicos Islands retained the death penalty for treason and piracy before completely abolishing it in 2002 due to the British government exercising powers to do so under the [[West Indies Act 1962]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/death-penalty-abolished-on-all-british-territory-2cpw5dgwxxv |title=Death penalty abolished on all British territory |work=The Times |url-access=subscription |date=2002-10-23 |accessdate=2023-05-31}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[British Overseas Territories]]
* [[Crime in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Death penalty in the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories#Overseas Territories]]
* [[Royal prerogative of mercy]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Orders in Council]]
[[Category:1991 in British law]]
[[Category:Anti–death penalty laws]]
[[Category:Society of British Overseas Territories]]
[[Category:1991 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1991 in the British Virgin Islands]]
[[Category:1991 in the Cayman Islands]]
[[Category:1991 in Montserrat]]
[[Category:1991 in the Turks and Caicos Islands]]
[[Category:1991 in Anguilla]]
[[Category:Capital punishment in the United Kingdom]]