OpinionHong Kong courts must open up about their work, and this means joining social media
Cliff Buddle says judges have been attacked for recent rulings, but scant attention is given to the reasoning behind judgments. To educate the public, the judiciary should get on social media platforms and even consider a bold move Britain has made – allowing filming in courts
The game, which features manslaughter, drug and burglary cases, among others, appears on an “open justice” website and is part of an effort to educate people about the way courts approach sentencing. We need some of that education in Hong Kong.
Critics of court rulings in the city have been playing their own twisted version of “You be the judge” in recent years. Savage criticism has, at times, been directed at the courts by people unhappy with their judgments. Some judges have been subjected to abuse and threats. The attacks usually follow politically sensitive cases, with the focus entirely on the outcome. Not much attention is paid to the legal reasoning behind it.
Ng branded the judges “sinners of society” and “killers of young people” in a Facebook post. The court’s decision would “poison a generation of young people”, he added, calling on people to reflect on the fall of the rule of law. Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, defended the court. She said: “It is unacceptable for people to make inappropriate comments over court decisions, to vilify the judges in contempt of court, or even to launch personal attacks against a particular judge because they are unhappy with the judgment.”