The United Kingdom abolished the death penalty in 1965; beginning in 1967, Hong Kong followed in the footsteps of its suzerain by retaining the death penalty, but not carrying out any executions. In the early 1990s, heavily-armed robberies became so rampant that the Legislative Council debated whether to reinstate the death penalty.

Heated debate in the Council lasted from 1991 to 1993. Death penalty proponents argued that the death penalty would deter crime, make up for victims' losses, and calm public anger. Death penalty abolitionists, on the other hand, argued that the death penalty was not a deterrent; that the notion that "murderers should suffer death" is unjust; and that there might be wrongful convictions.

After three meetings, the councillors reached a conclusion that included abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with life imprisonment. On April 21st, 1993, the Legislative Council abolished the death penalty, with 40 votes in favor and 9 votes against. After the death penalty was abolished, the crime rate in Hong Kong did not increase as some people had feared it would. According to Amnesty International statistics, the number of homicides in Hong Kong dropped from 86 in 1993 to 24 in 2012, and the crime rate per 100,000 people dropped from 1394.9 in 1993 to 1064 in 2012.

Since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, Hong Kong has not followed China's lead in reinstating the death penalty. However, in recent years, Hong Kong people have continued to be sentenced to death in China, which has caused concern from time to time.

References: [蘋果日報("Apple Daily")(Chinese)] (https://tw.appledaily.com/forum/20191227/625WDSCOKUT3X4PAD65PP2X7OA/); [Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty] (https://www.taedp.org.tw/story/2534); TVBS(Chinese)