Trinidad wants to withdraw from Britain's Privy Council

Trinidad and Tobago plans to stop sending appeals in criminal cases to Britain's Privy Council, a move that could make it easier for death sentences to be carried out in the Caribbean country.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the government will submit legislation to parliament to abolish appeals to the London-based Privy Council, the final court of appeal for former and current British territories in the Caribbean.

The jurisdiction of the Privy Council in criminal appeals is "a matter of grave concern," Persad-Bissessar told parliament late on Wednesday, adding it "affects the dispensation of criminal justice at a time of high crime in our country."

"The situation has been complicated by the issue of the death penalty on which the Privy Council, reflecting contemporary English mores and jurisprudence, has been rigorous in upholding Caribbean appeals in death sentence cases," she said.

A former British colony, Trinidad and Tobago has faced criticism from human rights groups over its use of executions for some violent crimes. Capital punishment, however, enjoys wide support among Trinidadians who view it as a crime deterrent.

The energy rich, twin-island country is battling a high murder rate. Police say it is linked to drug trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago, a trans-shipment point for South American cocaine headed to Europe and the United States.

Last year, Persad-Bissessar imposed a four-month state of emergency to crack down on drug-related crime and gang activity.

Under the proposed legislation, appeals in criminal cases would be handled by the Caribbean Court of Justice - based in Port of Spain and now the final court of appeal for several Caribbean countries.

The last execution held in Trinidad and Tobago was in 1999 and involved a man found guilty of murdering a taxi driver. Earlier that year, nine members of a criminal gang were hanged for murder.

Source: Reuters, April 26, 2012

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