Hong Kong Chief Lam unsure of Australian judge James Spigelman's reasons for quitting

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that the Australian judge who recently resigned from the city's top court has not given any specific reason for stepping down. The imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong followed by the resignation of one of its judges has raised several questions about Hong Kong’s judicial independence.

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Lam unsure of reasons for Judge Spigelman's departure

While talking to international media, Judge James Spigelman stated problematic language and content in the new security law as the reason for his departure. When Carrie Lam was questioned about Spiegleman’s reasons for recusing himself, Lam on Tuesday said that she did not know his reasons and added that she did not want to speculate over the same.

As per reports. the new national security law outlaws any form of speech or writing that can be interpreted by the government as secessionist or subversive. The law was hastily passed in Beijing after being blocked in the Hong Kong legislature.

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Hong Kong has several international judges serving in its courts to maintain its impartiality while the courts in mainland China are controlled by the ruling party. Many aspects of Hong Kong such as the political system, the schools, security forces and social media are controlled by Beijing and the passing of the new security law and the resignation of a senior Australian Judge has created fears that Hong Kong’s judiciary might be next.

As per reports, Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Canada currently provide non-permanent judges for the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. The president of the British Supreme Court in London has already hinted that UK judges might not serve in Hong Kong if the city’s judicial independence gets compromised by the new law.

(With AP inputs)

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