Threats of sanctions on HK officials and judges slammed

Various sectors of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Friday strongly condemned some US lawmakers' attempt to impose sanctions on 49 Hong Kong officials, judges and prosecutors responsible for upholding national security.

They denounced the proposed sanctions as a shoddy political trick with despicable intentions and an unjustified smear against the HKSAR, saying the city's protection of national security will not be subject to any form of interference.

Recently, a group of US lawmakers introduced the Hong Kong Sanctions Act, calling for sanctions on 49 Hong Kong people, including Paul Lam Ting-kwok, the HKSAR's secretary for justice, Sonny Au Chi-kwong, secretary general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, Raymond Siu Chakyee, the police commissioner, and Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal.

In a statement released on Friday, a spokesperson of the HKSAR government underlined that safeguarding national security falls within the internal affairs of a sovereign jurisdiction. "The SAR government strongly urges the US politicians concerned to discern facts from fallacies, and immediately stop acting against international law and the basic norms of international relations and stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China's internal affairs," the spokesman said.

Echoing this, a spokesperson of the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR said that the endeavors made by various sectors in the SAR to safeguard national security are not only natural and justified but also supported by Hong Kong residents and the entire Chinese population.

External forces have no grounds to criticize these efforts, the spokesperson said.

Some unscrupulous politicians in the United States have willfully disregarded the reality of Hong Kong's return to the right track and the adherence to basic norms of international relations.

These politicians have shown a lack of respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary by repeatedly attempting to impose unwarranted unilateral sanctions on Hong Kong, the spokesman said.

The judiciary of Hong Kong said such an attempt is a flagrant and direct affront to the rule of law.

All judges and judicial officers exercise judicial power independently, and will continue to abide by their judicial oath and firmly discharge their duties in the administration of justice without fear from intimidation.

Victor Dawes, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, condemned any attempts to impose sanctions on Hong Kong judges, solicitors or barristers that aim to interfere with the independent operation of the judiciary.

Hong Kong Basic Law Committee member Priscilla Leung Mei-fun said the so-called "bill" will not contribute to improving relations between the US and China. She urged the US government not to be swayed by extreme proposals.

Lawmaker Nixie Lam affirmed that no external interference could undermine the fundamental principles of the rule of law in Hong Kong, and erode the international community's trust in Hong Kong's legal system.

Lam appealed to all sectors in Hong Kong to unite to face the smears and interference by Western politicians.

atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com