‘Where’s the common sense?’ Hong Kong justice secretary condemns claims by British lawyer trio of email threats purportedly from national security police over Jimmy Lai case
- In strongest statement yet on incident, Paul Lam cites President Xi Jinping’s call for city to uphold rule of law and judicial independence
- Lam, in his ninth day in office, calls episode ‘a plot to vilify Hong Kong’
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok issued his strongest condemnation yet on the incident, questioning the “common sense” of the trio and telling a radio programme on Saturday that the case was a typical plot to vilify Hong Kong.
Lam said he instead found “important” assurance from President Xi Jinping’s recent remarks, citing the Chinese leader’s call for the city to hold on to its common law system and uphold judicial independence.
“I find it very odd that these so-called British lawyers, who would have received an education like me and have common sense, cannot tell true from false, and yet they made it sound like it’s real,” Lam said.
The three barristers – Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Jonathan Price and Jennifer Robinson – earlier told the Post they had been receiving email threats since they took up Lai’s case in presenting it to the UN to secure his release in Hong Kong, an episode which made headlines worldwide.
Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is facing charges under the Beijing-imposed national security law and has been denied bail by local courts.
The trio said the messages came from a sender claiming to be from the “national security wing”, stressing: “Whether they are genuine or fake, it is a clear attempt to intimidate us and interfere with our ability to represent our client.”