When Portugal handed over its former colony Macao to...

When Portugal handed over its former colony Macao to China on December 20, it also passed on a part of Europe's legal and human rights culture. During negotiations that preceded the handover, Portugal requested, among other things, strict guarantees that human rights will be respected and the death penalty will not be reintroduced. On November 29, the Chinese Government informed its Portuguese counterpart that the death penalty, provided for in China, will not be extended to Macao.