Capital punishment in Seychelles

The last execution by the authorities in Seychelles took place while the nation was still under British rule. The exact date of that execution, the method used in carrying out the execution, and the person executed, are unknown.^[1] In 1966, the country abolished the death penalty for murder and other civilian crimes, still while the country was under British colonial rule. Upon gaining independence from Britain in 1976, Seychelles confirmed their choice to do away with the death penalty. At the time, however, they retained the death penalty only for treason.^[2]

In July 1982, four mercenaries in a group of seven were sentenced to death in Seychelles for attempting to overthrow the country's government. The four men — Aubrey Brooks, a 38-year-old Zimbabwean; Jeremiah Puren, a 57-year-old South African; Roger England, a 26-year-old holding dual nationality in the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe; and Bernard Carey, a 38-year-old British national — all pleaded guilty to treason, the only crime punishable by death in Seychelles at the time. Their death sentences were passed in the nation's capital and largest city, Victoria.^[3] Another fifth man among the group, South African intelligence agent Martin Dolinchek, also pleaded guilty, but he received a 20-year prison sentence due to the court determining that he displayed remorse for his involvement in the attempted coup. A sixth, Robert Sims, a native of South Africa, only faced a maximum of 20 years in jail on charges of illegally importing arms into Seychelles as a part of the attempt. A seventh, a woman named Susan Ingles, had her charges dropped and was subsequently deported to South Africa. The mercenaries were a part of a group of 53 that was led by Mad Mike Hoare, a British-South African mercenary.^[3]

Brooks, Puren, England, and Carey were never executed, and Seychelles had no gallows at the time that they sentenced the mercenaries to death; all four were released from prison in 1983.^[4] Aubrey Brooks later wrote an autobiographical account of his experiences in which he mentions spending two years in prison for his involvement in the attempted coup; he also thanks the President of Seychelles, Albert Rene, for playing a considerable role in saving his life.^[5]

Press reports indicated that at the time of abolition, the method utilized in Seychelles was hanging.^[3] Hanging tended to be the standard method of execution among nations in the British Empire.^[6]