Hong Kong’s leader has praised the city’s prosecutors for what he termed their integrity, professionalism and passion, following US threats of sanctions in response to the jailing of dozens of democrats in a national security case.
Chief Executive John Lee speaks at the opening ceremony of the 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors on
November 28, 2024. Photo: GovHK.
Hong Kong’s Department of Justice (DoJ) was “free from any interference,” Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors.
US lawmakers have also called for sanctions on Hong Kong prosecutors for bringing national security charges against the city’s pro-democracy figures. Christopher Smith, chairman of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said the trial of media tycoon Jimmy Lai and the sentencing of 45 democrats to up to 10 years in prison “must be widely condemned.”
“The Biden administration should levy sanctions on judges and prosecutors responsible for undermining democracy and human rights in Hong Kong,” Smith said in a statement. The sentences ranged from four years and two months to 10 years for the alleged ringleader of a subversion conspiracy.
On Thursday, Lee said Hong Kong last hosted a regional conference of the International Association of Prosecutors 20 years ago, and the city had “come a long, good way” over the past two decades.
Department of Justice. Photo: GovHK.
He cited the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s constitutional document, and the principle of One Country, Two Systems, saying the city was characterised by “unrivalled connectivity and a free flow of information, capital, goods and people.”
Lee said the city was the only common law jurisdiction in China, with a long and established practice of the rule of law. Local courts exercised their judicial powers independently and free from any interference, he said.
He praised prosecutors from Hong Kong and abroad, saying they upheld the principles of fairness and impartiality in the pursuit of justice and were committed to safeguarding the public interest in spite of formidable challenges.
“I take pride in Hong Kong’s excellent prosecutors. Hong Kong will continue to pursue the highest prosecutorial standards,” Lee said.
The First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China Tong Jianming speaks at the opening ceremony of the 11th Asia and Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors November 28, 2024. Photo: GovHK.
Among those attending Thursday’s ceremony were China’s First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Tong Jianming and the Deputy Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Chinese government in Hong Kong, Chen Feng.
The city’s Director of Public Prosecutions Maggie Yang delivered the keynote speech.
The conference hosting around 240 participants will last for three days. It will cover topics including the challenges posed by decentralisation in the technological age, the handling of digital evidence, and the impact of technological advancements on criminal evidence and procedure, the government said.
