“Indeed, the best way to handle any such improper interference is to stay calm and composed, carrying on with our respective duties and, at the same time, to maintain and promote the transparency of the judicial process,” Lam said.
The names to be added to the list included Lam and Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, the chief justice, as well as more than 40 other judges and prosecutors.
Lam defended the legal system’s fairness in its handling of national security cases and the openness and independence of trial procedures.
“In particular, it is duty-bound to ensure that defendants charged with national security offences will receive a fair trial and that their guilt will be determined in accordance with the relevant law and evidence only, nothing more and nothing less,” Lam insisted.
He added hearings and judgments in national security trials were open and accessible to the public and accused some of not examining court records before they made accusations.
“The real problem is that many people did not bother to do so before passing their own judgments,” Lam said. “For any reasonable and objective bystander who is eager to seek the truth, he or she will not see one iota of evidence that the judiciary’s independent power has been compromised in cases involving national security.”
Hong Kong judges must uphold integrity amid overseas pressure: chief justice
Hong Kong judges must uphold integrity amid overseas pressure: chief justice
Lam promised that the government would protect judges and prosecutors so they could carry out
The post Hong Kong justice minister Paul Lam defends impartiality of courts in national security cases and warns of continued threats to judicial independence from overseas first appeared on a new day for immigration.