Hong Kong should ‘keep cool head’ amid US sanction threats, justice minister says

Their concerns included the passage of the city’s domestic national security law in March and the recent conviction of all but two of the 47 opposition figures in a landmark subversion case involving the election primary in 2020.

Lam was among more than 20 officials, prosecutors and judges named on the proposed sanction list.

The minister said it was disagreeable for US politicians to propose sanctions that targeted the city’s judges, while also downplaying the move’s potential threat.

“You can see that there is nothing new, they are all very vague attacks ... These are all within expectations and are not so surprising,” Lam said.

“What matters is our attitude towards them. We must always keep a cool head and the presence of mind in dealing with them, not letting these things influence us in doing what we think is right.”

He expressed confidence that local courts would continue to perform their duties as always, but called for the city “not to be interrupted or have our emotions shaken”.

The minister also discussed a court’s decision on Tuesday to remand a 20-year-old man in custody over his alleged role in an unlawful assembly at Kwun Tong’s APM shopping centre on June 30, 2020.

Justice minister Paul Lam has said there is no time limit for the prosecution of most criminal offences. Photo: Dickson Lee

Lam urged the public against rushing to conclusions about the pace of proceedings based on media coverage, arguing such outlets had missed a key detail.

“In fact, he was arrested at the time [of the unlawful assembly]. But by the end of July 2020, he refused police bail and then left Hong Kong,” Lam said.

“We understood that he went to Britain to study. He hadn’t come back to Hong Kong until July 15 of this year, when he was arrested upon his return ... There was no problem of delay and he was dealt with immediately when he returned to Hong Kong.”

The minister said authorities could not promise to avoid further charges against those arrested during the 2019 social unrest, as new evidence could “suddenly” emerge that would justify prosecution.

There was also no time limit for the prosecution of most criminal offences, he added.

“A responsible law enforcement agency and the Department of Justice cannot make a promise that is inconsistent with legal principle and general practice,” he said.

Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee had suggested in February of last year that the force set a date to clear the backlog of protest-related cases, saying he hoped to announce how to proceed “within the month”.

Later that year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said police would not set a date to wrap up their criminal investigations as such procedures were based on evidence, circumstances and the requirements of each case.

Police figures show 10,279 people were arrested in connection with offences including rioting, illegal assembly, common assault, arson and criminal damage during the social unrest.

The force last month said 2,961 people out of the total had either gone through or were undergoing judicial procedures, with 2,328 of them having to face legal consequences.

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