Exclusive | Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Paul Lam addresses concerns over timely court proceedings for 47 opposition activists arrested for national security law violations
- Secretary for Justice Paul Lam says prosecutors have been grappling with a much heavier workload in recent years
- More than 30 opposition activists charged with subversion have spent over a year behind bars awaiting trial
Hong Kong’s new secretary for justice has promised to act on “legitimate” concerns over a delay in the prosecution of 47 activists arrested under the national security law, but insisted the proceedings so far have not been exceptionally lengthy.
Appealing for public understanding, Paul Lam Ting-kwok said prosecutors had been grappling with a much heavier workload in recent years, but added the Department of Justice had been working with judges and defence lawyers to resolve the issue of unduly long waiting times before cases appeared in the courts.
“As a matter of principle, very seriously, I accept that justice delayed is justice denied,” Lam said in an exclusive interview with the Post.
“Obviously, there’s always room for improvement because otherwise people will not be so concerned. So I recognise there is a concern. It’s a legitimate concern. And I’ll do whatever possible to address this.”
Critics argued defendants were facing undue punishment if they ended up being acquitted, and for those who faced charges with shorter maximum sentences – such as sedition, which carries a jail term of two years – they might spend a longer time waiting in jail than the sentence eventually received.
