In April it was reported by Xinhua that the death penalty...

In April it was reported by Xinhua that the death penalty would not be reintroduced in post-handover Macao. The Macao Penal Code was gazetted in November 1995 and prohibits both capital punishment and life imprisonment as they contravene the principle of social rehabilitation for convicted criminals. Xinhua said that when Portugal and China held consultations on Macao's new Penal Code in 1995 "the Chinese side did not challenge the provision for abolishing the death penalty." The provision for abolishing the death penalty can be retained after Macao is returned to China, as long as the legislature of the (post-handover) Macao Special Administrative Region deems it necessary.