Dec. 31 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of China has granted this Saturday to the head of the Hong Kong Executive, John Lee, the power to limit or veto the work of foreign lawyers in cases related to national security.
The decision, which affects the judicial tradition in the former British colony, again calls into question judicial independence in the Chinese special administrative region, where prosecutors and lawyers often resort to foreign lawyers, according to information from the newspaper ‘South China Morning Post’. ‘.
The measure now comes shortly after the Hong Kong Justice has delayed the trial against media mogul Jimmy Lai until September. In November, Lee himself had asked the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress to intercede after the Justice Department tried to block British lawyer Timothy Owen, who is leading his defense.
Now, critical voices have pointed out that Beijing’s intervention on these issues undermines Hong Kong’s judicial independence, especially in cases like Lai’s. The Standing Committee has noted that Hong Kong courts must give the go-ahead before admitting the involvement of any foreign lawyer.
On Friday, Lee noted that these types of decisions affect only “a small area” since they are only lawyers who handle cases related to national security. “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 Hong Kong’s internal affairs.
The founder of the newspaper ‘Apple Daily’, anti-government and now closed, is one of the most influential critical voices in Hong Kong and critics of the president, Xi Jinping, and the Chinese Communist Party.
