Death Penalty: British Nationals Overseas

HL Deb 28 February 2001 vol 622 c133WA

Lord Peston

asked Her Majesty's Government:

At what stage they consider it appropriate to make representations against the use of the death penalty in cases of British nationals being tried overseas. [HL949]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal

Our overriding objective is to avoid the execution of British nationals. We will now express our opposition to the death penalty and its use on a British national at whatever stage and level is judged appropriate from the moment when the imposition of a death sentence on a British national becomes a possibility. Our previous policy was to make these representations only when the judicial process had been exhausted.

We have already taken action under the new policy in the case of Krishna Maharaj. I have written to the Florida State Attorney setting out the UK's opposition to the death penalty and requesting that the death sentence not be pursued in his case.