My Take | Hong Kong justice seen to be done with two more foreign judges
Appointment of women with impeccable reputations comes at a time when the credibility of other institutions is being questioned and undermined
As they say, justice should not only be done, but also be seen to be done. That is why everyone should welcome the expansion of the number of foreign judges at the Court of Final Appeal from 12 to 14.
It’s an added bonus that the latest additions are two female justices of impeccable reputation from the British Commonwealth, the first time the city has women sitting at the highest court.
Hong Kong’s legal system has been under assault both domestically and from foreign bodies. Activists from both opposition and government-friendly camps have rounded on judges with personal attacks for delivering rulings not to their liking.
This is perhaps unavoidable, given the deep divisions that have marred the city since the Occupy protests in 2014 and the Lunar New Year riot in 2016. Our judges must be doing something right when they manage to upset people from both sides.
Meanwhile, foreign groups and politicians such as Amnesty International, Benedict Rogers of Hong Kong Watch, British politician Paddy Ashdown and US senator Marco Rubio have cast aspersions on our legal system, either out of ignorance, malice or both.