Opinion | Reasoned criticism of Hong Kong judges justified

Unfortunately, though, politics often rears its ugly head as Hong Kong has witnessed with attacks on District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin, who sympathised with a serious violent offender against anti-government protesters before sending him to jail

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A judge will no longer preside over Hong Kong protest cases following his sentencing remarks when jailing a tour guide for an attack at a ‘Lennon Wall’. Photo: Facebook

Published: 9:31pm, 5 May 2020Updated: 11:13pm, 5 May 2020

The protests that engulfed Hong Kong last year have underscored the importance of its core values and institutions, foremost among them an independent judiciary. The courts must be seen to uphold the law without fear or favour or hindrance.

In such a fraught atmosphere, there are bound to be perceptions of bias from time to time among people in both the pro- and anti-government camps, including disagreement with judicial decisions. This can easily give rise to personal criticism of judges. It is often ill-informed and politically motivated.

The latest to run the gauntlet of it is District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin, who sympathised with a serious violent offender against anti-government protesters before sending him to jail. His remarks were controversial. Some legal experts and pro-democracy activists thought he went too far, while the pro-establishment side believed he did nothing unreasonable.

It is understandable the judiciary has removed him from cases involving anti-government protesters. But it is also a timely opportunity to emphasise there is no justification for personal attacks that drag the courts into a political battleground and undermine confidence in their independence.

Judge barred from protest cases after hailing knifeman

Kwok was sentencing 51-year-old tour guide Tony Hung Chun, who admitted stabbing a reporter and two others with a beef knife in a pedestrian tunnel in Tseung Kwan O used by protesters for wall postings. The attack left the journalist in a critical condition.