Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Philip Dykes to assume office for a third term
- Dykes will assume the one-year position unopposed from January next year as no last-minute nominations were received on Friday
- Legal scholar Johannes Chan says Dykes’ stint is important as both the city and the profession face great challenges
The vocal leader of Hong Kong’s barristers will assume office for a third consecutive term, breaking a convention of the past three decades.
Human rights lawyer Philip Dykes, elected to the chairmanship of the Hong Kong Bar Association in January 2018, on Thursday confirmed he would run for a second re-election, a decision which evoked a mixed response from members of the legal profession.
Dykes will assume the one-year position unopposed from January next year as no last-minute nominations were received on Friday. He will lead the body, representing more than 1,500 barristers, for another year at a time of intense social unrest which has put Hong Kong’s legal system to the test.
During Dykes’ tenure, the association had been critical of the government for its attempts to push through the now-withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfer of suspects to other jurisdictions, including mainland China, for trial. It has argued that part of the arrangement had failed to protect the rights of fugitives if they were sent to the mainland.
Dykes, who also led the association for two years from 2005, said he decided to run again at the request of some fellow barristers.
