Hong Kong officials were seeking a guarantee from Beijing...

Hong Kong officials were seeking a guarantee from Beijing that mainlanders sent back to face trial under a rendition agreement would not be executed. Elsie Leung said enforcement of the death penalty was one of the obstacles in talks with mainland officials on the agreement. She said it would be "difficult for courts to satisfy the public that everyone will be equal before the court" if defendants sent back to the mainland for trial under an agreement faced different treatment. She said the Government wanted an undertaking that "even if the death penalty is imposed, it will not be enforced. Whether we will be successful remains to be seen".