UK Judges Resign from Top Court in Hong Kong

June 7, 2024 TruthUSA

The resignations of Lord Sumption and Lord Collins were prompted by the conviction of 14 pro-democracy legislators and activists for ‘conspiracy to commit subversion.’

Two more British judges have resigned from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA), with one of them citing the city’s “political situation” as the reason.

The resignations came days after the conviction of 14 pro-democracy legislators and activists of “conspiracy to commit subversion,” marking the largest prosecution under Beijing’s national security law in 2020. This comes after the inauguration of Hong Kong’s new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

In a statement issued just before 1 a.m. local time on Friday, Andrew Cheung, chief justice of HKCFA, expressed regret over the resignations of Lord Sumption and Lord Collins of Mapesbury, who were serving as non-permanent judges of the top court.

Mr. Cheung thanked foreign non-permanent judges, including Lord Sumption and Lord Collins, for their contributions to the HKCFA.

He emphasized that Hong Kong’s judiciary will uphold its independence and continue to appoint foreign non-permanent judges from common law jurisdictions.

In an email to The Epoch Times, Lord Collins stated that he resigned due to the political situation in Hong Kong, while still expressing confidence in the court’s independence.

Lord Sumption has also confirmed his resignation, planning to release a statement next week.

Hong Kong, as a former British colony, operates under common law versus mainland China. Since its return to Chinese rule in 1997, overseas non-permanent judges have been a part of the city’s top court.

However, several foreign judges have resigned since the imposition of the national security law in 2020, curbing public dissent within Hong Kong.

Notably, both the president and deputy president of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Reed of Allermuir and Lord Hodge, withdrew from HKCFA due to concerns over the national security law.

After the resignations of Lord Sumption and Lord Collins, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee expressed regret over their decision, reaffirming the city’s commitment to human rights, freedoms, and judicial independence.

A security guard stands outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on March 31, 2022. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

The city’s bar association remains confident in the independence of Hong Kong’s judicial system, believing that the resignations wouldn’t impact the apex court’s ability to fulfill its judicial duties.

Alyssa Fong, from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, welcomed the resignations of Collins and Sumption, urging other judges from the UK, Canada, and Australia to follow suit in light of Hong Kong’s compromised legal system.

In May, CFHK published a report highlighting how foreign non-permanent judges no longer serve the city’s rights-based order in Hong Kong under the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.

The report contends that these judges contribute little to Hong Kong’s democratic principles and inadvertently legitimize the city’s human rights violations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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