Beijing official in HK to meet with Pro-Beijing Figures
//#ZhangXiaoming is "on a visit" to Hong Kong amid debate whether pan-democratic lawmakers disqualified from running in the now-postponed Legco election would be allowed to remain in the legislature during a one-year vacuum.
Zhang, a deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and a former head of the liaison office in Hong Kong, is expected to meet with a
number of pro-government lawmakers, including Ma Fung-kwok, Paul Tse and Junius Ho, were seen leaving the liaison office and listen to their views on the issue.
Reports say some proposed allowing all lawmakers to stay on for one year, while others were against the idea...
News of the visit comes ahead of a meeting by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which will come up with a decision on the way forward. But it's not immediately known if delegates will address the issue in their meeting that starts on Aug 8.//
Source: RTHK #Aug3
//#ZhangXiaoming is "on a visit" to Hong Kong amid debate whether pan-democratic lawmakers disqualified from running in the now-postponed Legco election would be allowed to remain in the legislature during a one-year vacuum.
Zhang, a deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and a former head of the liaison office in Hong Kong, is expected to meet with a
number of pro-government lawmakers, including Ma Fung-kwok, Paul Tse and Junius Ho, were seen leaving the liaison office and listen to their views on the issue.
Reports say some proposed allowing all lawmakers to stay on for one year, while others were against the idea...
News of the visit comes ahead of a meeting by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, which will come up with a decision on the way forward. But it's not immediately known if delegates will address the issue in their meeting that starts on Aug 8.//
Source: RTHK #Aug3
#Court #FailedState #SeparationofPowers
#HKU Chair Professor of Law Johannes Chan: Judicial Independence Will Be Completely Lost When Judges' Rulings are Required to be 'Patriotic' to China
The deputy director of the PRC's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiao-ming said on Nov 17, 2020 that 'patriotism should come before democracy and freedom', he then called for judicial reform in Hong Kong.
Johannes Chan Man-mun, the Chair Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), expressed his concern in a Commercial Radio Hong Kong's program that the requirement of 'patriotism' would be imposed on the judicial officers.
Chan then added that 'patriotism' was only a political consideration which could not be measured by the objective standards; if judges in Hong Kong were required to follow the mainland Chinese standards, then when the judges' rulings were not in line with the government's wishes or did not incriminate those accused by the Nation Security Law, they would be considered 'unpatriotic', such situation would put judicial independence in jeopardy.
The prosecution has required the case of People Power's Tam Tak-chi, who faces 14 charges related to 'making seditious remarks and incitement to take part in an unauthorized assembly', to be handled by the designated national security judges.
Chan said that in general, since the principles of fair trial and judicial independence were involved, both sides of prosecution and defense did not have the right to appoint judges, otherwise, the trial would be considered unfair.
Source: Apple Daily #Nov18
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201118/JA333PHL45ECRD3KYSXE62X2KQ/
#JudicialIndependence #NationalSecurityLaw #Patriotism #JohannesChan #TamTakChi #ZhangXiaoMing
#HKU Chair Professor of Law Johannes Chan: Judicial Independence Will Be Completely Lost When Judges' Rulings are Required to be 'Patriotic' to China
The deputy director of the PRC's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiao-ming said on Nov 17, 2020 that 'patriotism should come before democracy and freedom', he then called for judicial reform in Hong Kong.
Johannes Chan Man-mun, the Chair Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), expressed his concern in a Commercial Radio Hong Kong's program that the requirement of 'patriotism' would be imposed on the judicial officers.
Chan then added that 'patriotism' was only a political consideration which could not be measured by the objective standards; if judges in Hong Kong were required to follow the mainland Chinese standards, then when the judges' rulings were not in line with the government's wishes or did not incriminate those accused by the Nation Security Law, they would be considered 'unpatriotic', such situation would put judicial independence in jeopardy.
The prosecution has required the case of People Power's Tam Tak-chi, who faces 14 charges related to 'making seditious remarks and incitement to take part in an unauthorized assembly', to be handled by the designated national security judges.
Chan said that in general, since the principles of fair trial and judicial independence were involved, both sides of prosecution and defense did not have the right to appoint judges, otherwise, the trial would be considered unfair.
Source: Apple Daily #Nov18
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20201118/JA333PHL45ECRD3KYSXE62X2KQ/
#JudicialIndependence #NationalSecurityLaw #Patriotism #JohannesChan #TamTakChi #ZhangXiaoMing