Rule of law in Hong Kong ‘more robust than outcome of any single case’: chief justice

In his speech at a ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year on Monday, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung warned that any calls for the early release of a defendant based on his occupation or political causes were a strike on the city’s rule of law, and that any threat of sanctions against judges had “absolutely no place in a civilised society”.

At a press briefing after the ceremony, Cheung also weighed in on the appointment of overseas judges to the city’s top court, noting that many were willing to serve but for geopolitical tensions between mainland China and Western common law countries.

During the ceremony, Cheung first offered his views on Lai’s high-profile trial, which had attracted significant international attention and commentary.

“Many of us may be forgiven for growing weary of simplistic assertions that the rule of law is dead whenever a court reaches a result one finds unpalatable,” the city’s top judge said.

“The rule of law in Hong Kong is far more robust and enduring than the outcome of any single case. It cannot be that the rule of law is alive one day, dead the next, and resurrected on the third, depending on whether the government or another party happens to prevail in court on a particular day.”