HK chief slams resignation of UK court judges as 'political'

Hong Kong’s leader has rejected claims that the city’s judiciary was losing its independence after two British judges resigned from the courts in the semi-autonomous territory, citing increasingly oppressive laws enacted by mainland China

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Hong Kong's leader on Thursday rejected claims that the city's judiciary was losing its independence after two British judges resigned from the courts in the semi-autonomous territory, citing increasingly oppressive laws enacted by mainland China.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she accepted the resignations announced Wednesday but insisted that “the rule of law has remained as robust as ever.”

“The whole thing is a political arrangement,” Lam said. “It is totally clear to all, that the British government officials and British politicians have used these means to damage our much respected independent judicial system, and I feel that this is very regrettable.”

British judges have sat on the Court of Final Appeal since Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, as part of efforts to safeguard the rule of law. But Britain and other Western nations say China has reneged on its promise to retain Hong Kong's own social, legal and political systems for 50 years amid an intense crackdown on the city's institutions following sweeping anti-government protests in 2019.