Lawyers are leaving Hong Kong en mass in response to increasing restrictions from the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
The city’s legal system is different from that of China, due to its legacy as a British colony. The liberal traditions of the system have clashed with China’s ruling communist party, which has launched a campaign of intimidation to destroy any vestige of independence in the city. Leading human rights lawyers have been forced to flee the country in the face of an increasing crackdown from the government, a Reuters investigation found, tightening the noose on Hong Kong’s independence.
JIMMY LAI: MEET THE JOURNALIST WHO TERRIFIES THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
The investigation profiled and interviewed several of the city’s leading human rights lawyers, most of whom drew the ire of the government following the pro-Democracy protests that rocked the region from 2019-2020.
One such lawyer, Michael Vidler, detailed how he was singled out by Chinese judges, and then targeted by pro-government media, endangering his safety. When he went to leave the country, he was ambushed by pro-government media at the airport, likely tipped off by China’s immigration authorities, where they took pictures of his travel documents. He has since gone into hiding somewhere in Europe, still fearing for his safety.
Several other lawyers faced similar fates to Vidler’s, although the government denies all such accusations.
“There is no truth in the alleged harassment or intimidation of ‘human rights’ lawyers,” the Hong Kong Chief Executive’s Office said in response to questions from Reuters. “We dispute and strongly object to your highly suggestive questions and biased, baseless and false accusations against the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) and law enforcement actions taken by law enforcement agencies.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The government added that all actions by Chinese law enforcement were “strictly in accordance with the law,” and had nothing to do with a person’s “political stance, background or occupation.”
Hong Kong has had its autonomy steadily stripped away since its transfer from British control in 1997, a process which has intensified under the premiership of President Xi Jinping.
