Biological Weapons Act 1974
Encyclopedia
The Biological Weapons Act 1974 (citation 1974 c.6) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, passed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 February 1974, with the long title
"An Act to prohibit the development, production, acquisition and possession of certain biological agents and toxins and of biological weapons."
The Act makes illegal the development, production, acquisition or retainment of biological weapons, as well as any weapon delivery systems for the deployment of biological weapons. It also forbade the exchange between people of biological weapons and established the prison sentence for committing the crimes mentioned in the Act; a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
.
The Act extends to anyone within the United Kingdom
, or British
citizens abroad, however the citizen must be within the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man
or any of the British colonies to be arrest
ed for the offense.
It also gives Customs and Excise
officers the power to seize biological weapons coming in or out of the United Kingdom, or British citizens in other countries transporting biological weaponry for deportation
to the UK.
A fourth section says that anyone may be charged (as with other crimes) with aiding and abetting
or conspiring
to transport biological weapons.
The Act extends to the entire United Kingdom
.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, passed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 February 1974, with the long title
Long title
The long title is the formal title appearing at the head of a statute or other legislative instrument...
"An Act to prohibit the development, production, acquisition and possession of certain biological agents and toxins and of biological weapons."
The Act makes illegal the development, production, acquisition or retainment of biological weapons, as well as any weapon delivery systems for the deployment of biological weapons. It also forbade the exchange between people of biological weapons and established the prison sentence for committing the crimes mentioned in the Act; a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
.
The Act extends to anyone within the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, or British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
citizens abroad, however the citizen must be within the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
or any of the British colonies to be arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed for the offense.
It also gives Customs and Excise
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value added tax , Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and...
officers the power to seize biological weapons coming in or out of the United Kingdom, or British citizens in other countries transporting biological weaponry for deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to the UK.
A fourth section says that anyone may be charged (as with other crimes) with aiding and abetting
Aiding and abetting
Criminal=Aiding and abetting is an additional provision in United States criminal law, for situations where it cannot be shown the party personally carried out the criminal offense, but where another person may have carried out the illegal act as an agent of the charged, working together with or...
or conspiring
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to transport biological weapons.
The Act extends to the entire United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.