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Department of Justice: Attacks on judges undermine HK rule of law

China Daily | Updated: 2020-01-02 01:44
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A security guard looks at the exterior wall of the High Court building which was spray-painted by rioters in Hong Kong, Jan 1, 2020. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Department of Justice has said that personal attacks and insults against judges would severely undermine the authority of the courts and damage public confidence in the judicial system.

The statement released by the department on Wednesday evening came after rioters spray-painted words on the outer wall of High Court to insult a judge earlier on the same day.

Judicial independence is an essential element of the rule of law, and that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government respects the freedom of speech of individuals, according to the statement.

Members of the public have the right to express their views on court decisions and related matters within the boundary permitted by the law.

The statement quoted the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal as saying that “it is no part of a court's function or duty to adjudicate on political or social issues, nor economic ones, whether siding with one extreme or another, or finding some sort of middle ground to solve the community's political, social or economic concerns.”

“Rather, at all times, the court is concerned with dealing with one aspect and one aspect only: a resolution of the legal issues arising in the dispute before it," the statement read.

Any person who is dissatisfied with court decisions may lodge appeals through the excising mechanism and should not criticize judges abusively or impute them of political bias, otherwise, the rule of law in Hong Kong would be undermined, the statement read.

Melissa Kaye Pang, president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, said she was shocked over the attack, adding that the legal society has repeatedly condemned unreasonable attacks against local courts.

Citing a joint statement from the Bar Association and Law Society in July 2018, she called on members of the legal profession to uphold the rule of law and defend judicial independence in Hong Kong.

In a separate statement issued by the government, police also strongly condemned such an unlawful act that defies the spirit of the law.

Police have classified the case as “criminal damage” for investigation and will enforce the law impartially, according to the statement.

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