China’s government on Saturday gave Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee the power to limit or veto the work of foreign lawyers in cases involving national security.
The decision, which affects the judicial tradition in the former British colony, once again calls into question judicial independence in the Chinese special administrative region, where prosecutors and lawyers often use foreign lawyers, according to the South China Morning Post.
The move comes shortly after the Hong Kong judiciary delayed the trial of media tycoon Jimmy Lai until September. In November, Lee himself had asked the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress to intercede after the Justice Department tried to block British lawyer Timothy Owen, who is heading his defense.
Now, critical voices have pointed out that Beijing’s intervention in these matters undermines Hong Kong’s judicial independence, especially in cases such as Lai’s. The Standing Committee has pointed out that Hong Kong courts must give the go-ahead before admitting the intervention of any foreign lawyers.
On Friday, Lee noted that such decisions affect only «a small area» given that it is only lawyers handling national security-related cases. «Beyond that, they are still welcome for the most part,» he clarified.
Lai, who has been in custody for nearly two years, faces a possible life sentence under Hong Kong’s national security law after being charged with conspiring with foreign forces to interfere in the Asian giant’s internal affairs.
The founder of the anti-government ‘Apple Daily’ newspaper, now shut down, is one of Hong Kong’s most influential critical voices and a critic of President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
