Liberal Lawyers exit Hong Kong after facing Chinese threats

Lawyers, who take on human rights cases or have criticised national security law imposed by China or raised warnings against the rule of law, are leaving Hong Kong. Simultaneously, Beijing gives Hong Kong leader the power to bar foreign lawyers from national security cases. These legal fraternity have been facing hardships in a coordinated ‘campaign of intimidation’ waged as a part of a wider crackdown by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Some methods deployed include anonymous threat messages and emails, GPS tracking devices placed under their cars, Chinese ‘funeral money’ being sent to their offices, harassment by state-controlled media, and false allegations of disloyalty amounting to defamation in the press.

In 2019,China passed the National Security Law (NSL). Legal advocates, critics, and protestors say that the introduction of this law led to the breach of the “one country, two systems” principle. The law gives enormous powers in the hands of Beijing to control internal issues in Hong Kong, like criminalising any acts of “secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign or external forces” - making it easier to prosecute protestors. Beijing's interpretation of HK's NSL (articles 14 and 47) fully empowers the Committee for Safeguarding National Security to override judicial decisions in the future, if local courts fail to obtain certificates from the Chief Executive in light of national security matters.

Among the high-profile departures include the city’s top human rights lawyer Michael Vidler, former Bar Association chairman Paul Harris, commercial solicitor Kevin Yam, former lawmaker Dennis Kwok and many more. Prominent lawyers like Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong, Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, and Chow Hang-tung were arrested amid the crackdown. The list of human rights lawyers who have been detained in the last two-and-a-half years is inexhaustible