Hong Kong’s new chief justice defends judicial independence in face of rising attacks on judges in inaugural speech
- Doxxing, threats of violence are ‘as futile as they are reprehensible’ in influencing courtroom decisions, says Andrew Cheung as he assumes new role
- Independence of judiciary crucial to maintain public confidence and city’s reputation as one governed by the rule of law under ‘one country, two systems’, he says
Hong Kong’s new chief justice warned against a rising tide of attacks on judges over politically charged court cases and dismissed the notion of setting up a panel to review sentencing guidelines as he took his oath of office on Monday.
“Whilst the freedom of speech of everyone in society must be fully respected, there must not be any attempt to exert improper pressure on the judges in the discharge of their judicial functions,” Cheung said in his inaugural speech to launch the new judicial year.
“In this connection, it has to be stressed that attempts to exert undue pressure on our judges by means such as threats of violence or doxxing are as futile as they are reprehensible.”
At a media briefing later, Cheung dismissed calls from pro-Beijing politicians for a sentencing council to tackle concerns about biased rulings, but he said there would be a review of the existing complaints mechanism against judges and welcomed constructive suggestions for reform as long as they did not infringe on judicial independence.
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