A Statue of Justice stands above the Court of Final Appeal building in the Central district in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, June 22, 2020. Hong Kong Chief Justic Ma Tao-li said all designated judges will come from the existing ranks of the judiciary, as prescribed under Article 44 of the national security law. - Bloomberg
HONG KONG (China Daily/ANN): Judges who preside over cases under Hong Kong’s new national security law will be selected on the basis of judicial and professional qualities, and not political considerations, Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li said on Thursday (July 2).
The statement, which came two days after the law was promulgated in Hong Kong, responded to concerns over the special administrative region’s judicial independence. The concerns stemmed from the arrangement, as stipulated in the new law, of asking Hong Kong’s chief executive to appoint a designated team of judges to adjudicate national security cases.
