Jimmy Lai, the founder of Next Media, was charged with violating the “Hong Kong National Security Act.” Reversing the High Court’s decision, the Court of Final Appeal opened a hearing this morning. The “Big Chessboard” column of “Sing Tao Daily” quoted “informed sources” this morning as saying that the Justice Department not only believes that cases involving the “Hong Kong National Security Law” cannot hire foreign lawyers, although the current criminal. crime regulations including Article 23 of the “Basic Law”, including the crimes of treason, treason, etc., can not hire foreign lawyers.
The column quoted a senior organization person involved in the drafting of the “Basic Law” as saying that the central government had allowed Hong Kong to hire judicial personnel and barristers from other common law regions in the hope that the international community would still recognizes Hong Kong. legal system after the transfer; but Described, after the wave of anti-reform demonstrations in 2019 and the enactment of the “National Security Law for Hong Kong” by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress the year before last, the entire international situation and the political situation in Hong Kong Kong has changed, and it is impossible to allow foreigners to participate in cases related to national security; and this time the Appeal of the Department of Justice is to ask the Court of Final Appeal to draw up the “new rules of the game”. The column also pointed out that people in the organization emphasized that this action is not aimed at Li Zhiying’s case, but because the nature of the incident is related to the principle of the national security case trial.
The column also quoted Tan Yaozong, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, as saying that one of the legislative purposes of Hong Kong’s National Security Law is to prevent foreign forces from interfering, and the Jimmy Lai case involved “collusion with foreign forces.” The legislative intent of the Hong Kong National Security Law. It is also impossible for foreign lawyers to understand the Hong Kong National Security Law. He pointed out that if the court fails to handle it well, a Standing Committee may have to The National People’s Congress explained that.
As for the member of the Basic Law Committee, Leung Mei-fen also questioned yesterday, if a foreign lawyer is under political pressure from his own country, who should show his loyalty in the middle, and will unfairness be the trial or the representation of the case, and the relevant cases will contain many state secrets, May cause “political embarrassment”. Leung Mei-fen also said that if the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law” is not clear, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress does not overrule the interpretation of the law.
