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Radio Australia/Pacific Beat: "In less than a week, a Court sitting in New Zealand is expected to decide whether commandeering a British navy ship, sailing it to a remote deserted island then sinking it amounts to a declaration of independence. The Court of Appeal of the remote Pitcairn Island -- a British Pacific territory about half way between Australia and South America -- is being asked to decide whether seven islanders should face trial. The men are facing 96 sex charges, some of which date back to the 1960s and relate to underage girls. The public defenders acting for the men say that because the island was settled by the famous mutineers of the Bounty 214 years ago, along with their Polynesian wives, English laws don't extend to the island. But observers of international law say the court is unlikely to accept that an act of mutiny is enough to elude the long arm of English law."