A professional association for lawyers in Hong Kong warned that the right to a fair trial could be threatened in the future, given that the city’s chief executive (CE) would be able to pick judges for certain criminal cases under Beijing’s proposed national security law.
It noted that “judicial independence is a cornerstone of our justice system within a common law jurisdiction, and cannot be compromised.”
The law would criminalize those who engage in activities connected to “subversion, secession, terrorism, and foreign interference” against the Chinese regime.
The Law Society highlighted its concerns about Chinese authorities’ ability to have jurisdiction over certain cases.
It said this brings up the possibility that “individuals in Hong Kong may be subject to judicial process other than those administered by the HKSAR courts.”
“Queries are raised as to whether fundamental human rights, including the right to a fair trial, can be effectively safeguarded,” the body added.
On June 25, about a dozen members of the local pro-democracy party, League of Social Democrats, staged a rally outside the Hong Kong Liaison Office, Beijing’s representative office in the city.
They brought over 20,000 signatures they had collected in a petition drive opposing the national security law. Some of the petition papers were tied to the steel fences outside the office.
They also held up posters showing pictures of people in mainland China who had been charged for “inciting subversion of state power”—a catch-all charge Beijing often uses against dissidents.
