UK judges quit Hong Kong’s top court over China’s security law

The British government announces the withdrawal of its judges from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal over opposition to China’s national security law

The UK government has announced that its judges will no longer sit on Hong Kong’s top court over opposition to China’s national security law, with two Supreme Court judges resigning immediately.

Qazet.az reports that “The situation has reached a tipping point where it is no longer tenable for British judges to sit on Hong Kong’s leading court, and would risk legitimising oppression,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Wednesday.

“We have seen a systematic erosion of liberty and democracy in Hong Kong,” she said, noting the authorities had “cracked down on free speech, the free press and free association” since the security law was imposed in 2020.

Truss said she had reached the decision to withdraw the judges from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal following consultations with the UK Supreme Court and ministers responsible for the judiciary.

The UK Supreme Court said its two judges currently sitting on the Hong Kong court in two of 12 overseas non-permanent positions had resigned with immediate effect.