The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly condemned and opposed the misleading and slanderous remarks by overseas organisations and media against the law enforcement actions and legal proceedings in respect of the cases involving Lai Chee-ying.

In a statement, the Government said the remarks constitute blatant political interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs and the independent exercise of judicial power by Hong Kong courts.

It also noted that any attempt to interfere with the judicial proceedings in the Hong Kong SAR by means of political power, in order to procure a defendant’s evasion of the criminal justice process, is a blatant act undermining the rule of law. At the same time, doing any act or making any statement with the intent to interfere with or obstruct the course of justice, or engaging in conduct with the same intent, is very likely to constitute the offence of criminal contempt of court or the offence of perverting the course of justice.

Anyone who requests a foreign country to impose sanctions against the Hong Kong SAR or the People’s Republic of China also commits the offence of collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security under Article 29 of the National Security Law.

Furthermore, the suggestion that people or organisations with certain backgrounds should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts is tantamount to granting such people or organisations privileges to break the law, and is totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law.

Journalists, like everyone else, have an obligation to abide by all the laws, the Government pointed out.

Additionally, it stressed that for all the cases involving Lai Chee-ying, he had fully exercised his right to defend himself and the right to appeal, and the verdicts and sentences (if any) were given by the courts exercising judicial power independently, based on applicable laws, facts and evidence after open trials and hearings. Moreover, the detailed reasons for sentence are contained in the publicly available judgment.

Hence, any suggestion that the charges were spurious or the conviction unjust is an utter disrespect to the due administration of justice, the Government noted, and urged the overseas entities concerned to stop interfering in the independent exercise of judicial power in, and the internal affairs of, the Hong Kong SAR.

Pointing out that law enforcement actions have been taken based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law, while the Department of Justice makes all prosecution decisions based on an objective analysis of all admissible evidence and applicable laws, the Government said any suggestion that the cases were tied with political considerations is totally absurd and inappropriate.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also said it despises the calls by the entities concerned for the so-called sanctions and shall never be intimidated, and made it clear that it will continue to resolutely discharge the responsibility of safeguarding national security in accordance with the law.

Those countries should observe international law and the basic norms of international relations, and refrain from interfering in Hong Kong matters which are purely China’s internal affairs, it added.