- Frederick Newton
Frederick Newton (1951 –
9 August 1986 ) was the head of theair force ofDominica from its independence in 1978 until 1981. He was executed in 1986 for organising an attemptedcoup d'état in 1981 that resulted in the death of apolice officer .Newton was trained by the
Guyana Defence Force. In January 1983, Newton and five of his soldiers receiveddeath sentence s by a Dominca court for organising and participating in the failed 1981 coup that was aimed at overthrowing Prime MinisterEugenia Charles . (The coup attempt was unrelated toOperation Red Dog , which was organised by former prime ministerPatrick John .) The five soldiers' sentences were eventually commuted tolife imprisonment , but in 1986, Newton became the first person to be executed by Dominica since its independence from theUnited Kingdom when he was hanged inRoseau . He is the only person to have been executed by Dominica as an independent state.References
*
Associated Press , [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6D71739F93AA3575BC0A960948260 "Ex-Commander Hanged For Dominica Coup Role"] , "New York Times ",1986-08-09
*Amnesty International (1989). "When the State Kills: The Death Penalty v. Human Rights" (New York: Amnesty International, ISBN 0862101646) p. 129
*Roberto Bissio (1997). "The World Guide 1997/98: A View from the South" (Rotherham: New Internationalist, ISBN 1869847431) p. 222
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