Hong Kong’s justice minister has filed complaints to the city’s legal professional bodies against two pro-democracy activists wanted by the police under the Beijing-imposed national security law over alleged collusion with foreign forces.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam lodged complaints to the Hong Kong Bar Association and The Law Society of Hong Kong – which regulate the city’s barristers and solicitors, respectively – against ex-lawmaker Dennis Kwok and solicitor Kevin Yam, according to a government statement published on Monday.
Lam said the pair “made use of their professional capacity as a Hong Kong barrister and a Hong Kong solicitor to lend perceived credibility and authority to their smearing of Hong Kong’s judicial system and rule of law, and made slanderous remarks against Hong Kong judges and prosecutors.”
The two democrats advocated for and supported foreign sanctions against China and the city, including Hong Kong judicial officers and prosecutors, the justice minister added.
“These acts have undermined the judicial system and overall interests of the HKSAR. As the guardian of public interest in the proper administration of justice and upholding the rule of law, I am duty-bound to defend Hong Kong’s rule of law and due administration of justice,” Lam said in the statement.
Kwok and Yam were among the eight democrats that police said were wanted over alleged national security offences last week. The others were ex-legislator Ted Hui as well as activists Nathan Law, Anna Kwok, Elmer Yuen, Mung Siu-tat and Finn Lau. The national security police announced a HK$1 million bounty for each of the eight wanted.
Kwok, previously a lawmaker representing the legal sector, was no longer listed on the Hong Kong Bar Association’s directory when HKFP checked on Tuesday morning. His entry returned a “page not found” error, although it is unclear when it was removed.
The ex-legislator is now an attorney in the US. Yam, an Australian citizen, is a solicitor and a senior fellow of Georgetown University Centre for Asian Law.
The national security legislation, enacted in June 2020, also criminalised subversion, secession, and terrorist acts, which were broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
The move gave police sweeping new powers, alarming democrats, civil society groups and trade partners, as such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
Chan Chak-ming, president of The Law Society, confirmed in a statement on Monday that the group had received a complaint against a solicitor for professional misconduct, and that it would open an investigation into the allegations.
However, the president said that he would not comment on individual cases.
“I would like to stress that, as a regulatory body for solicitors in Hong Kong, the Law Society attaches great importance to the conduct of our members. The Law Society handles all complaints rigorously and deals with them in a fair, impartial and objective manner,” Chan said in a statement.
The Law Society said earlier last Thursday that it was investigating allegations against one of its members, without naming who the member was. Yam later said in a tweet on the same day that he was the person that The Law Society was referring to.
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