HONG KONG
\nChina on Thursday blamed the resignation of two senior British judges from Hong Kong\u2019s highest court on \u201cBritish pressure\u201d against a sweeping national security law which makes dissent in the former British colony a crime punishable by jail.
\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam also said the resignations were politically motivated, adding that she was confident all levels of the judiciary in the Chinese-ruled city would be free from political interference.
\nThe judges resigned from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (CFA) on Wednesday, saying they could not support an administration that had \u201cdeparted from values of political freedom\u201d and freedom of expression.
\nHong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.
\nBritain says the national security law is a breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that paved the way for the city\u2019s return to China under a \u201cone country, two systems\u201d formula.
\nChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed \u201cstrong dissatisfaction\u201d with the resignations and said British pressure had been exerted on the judges in order \u201cto defame the Hong Kong National Security Law and interfere in China\u2019s internal affairs\u201d.
\n\u201cThe British side flagrantly interfered in and undermined the administration of justice in the territory by political means,\u201d he told reporters.
\nBritish judges have long served among the foreign jurists appointed to the CFA, an arrangement to maintain confidence in a separate legal system widely seen as the bedrock of the city\u2019s social and commercial freedoms.
\nBusiness people and diplomats are watching particularly closely, given the importance of legal independence to Hong Kong\u2019s status as a global financial hub.
\nRobert Reed, the head of Britain\u2019s top judicial body, on Wednesday said he and colleague Patrick Hodge would relinquish with immediate effect their roles as non-permanent judges on the CFA. Reed\u2019s statement said the move was made in agreement with the British government.
\nLam said she regretted their decision, adding that foreign judges were much valued to help safeguard judicial independence.
\n\u201cI remain very confident that we still have very fine judges in the judiciary, both local and from overseas. Hong Kong will continue to benefit significantly,\u201d she said.
\nNeither Reed nor Hodge could immediately be reached for comment.
\nThe national security law, which punishes offences like subversion with up to life imprisonment, has drawn widespread criticism from pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong and from Western countries, including the United States and Britain.
\nMany of the city\u2019s democratic campaigners have been arrested, detained or forced into exile, civil society groups have shut down and liberal media outlets forced to close in a security crackdown following the introduction of the law.
\nLam and the Hong Kong government deny that the law, introduced after months of at times violent pro-democracy demonstrations, curbs freedoms, saying it was necessary to maintain order, preserve the city\u2019s economic success and guard against foreign interference.
\nLam pointed out that the law does not prohibit overseas judges from serving and hearing security cases, adding that judges\u2019 independence meant that foreign judges, either by their oath or judgments, in no way endorsed her government.
\nReed said earlier that while Hong Kong\u2019s courts were respected for their commitment to the rule of law, judges could not serve in the city \u201cwithout appearing to endorse an administration which has departed from values of political freedom, and freedom of expression, to which the justices of the Supreme Court are deeply committed\u201d.
\nTen other foreign judges are still serving the Hong Kong court, six of whom are retired British jurists.
\nCanada\u2019s former top judge, Beverley McLachlin, is to remain serving on the CFA, Lam said, citing her as saying her appointment had no connection to the Hong Kong administration.
\nRetired former Australian Chief Justice Robert French told Reuters in an email he and his two Australian colleagues would stay on the bench.
\n\u201cWe do not intend to resign. We support the judges of the CFA in their commitment to judicial independence,\u201d he said, referring to former justices William Gummow and Murray Gleeson.
\nGummow and Gleeson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
\nThe British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong expressed \u201cdisappointment\u201d at the resignations, saying in a statement that the continued presence of other foreign judges would be \u201cgreatly valued by our business community\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HONG KONG China on Thursday blamed the resignation of two senior British judges from Hong Kong\u2019s highest court on \u201cBritish pressure\u201d against a sweeping national security law which makes dissent in the former British colony a crime punishable by jail. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam also said the resignations were politically motivated, adding that she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n