More from Sumption, the HKMAO and Ronny to brighten your day

From the Guardian – Lord Sumption does an interview with BBC radio…

“The real problem, I think, in Hong Kong is the paranoid atmosphere there,” he continued. “This is said to be a response to the 2019 riots, but there were already laws perfectly capable of dealing with those. The object has become increasingly clear of the national security law was to crush peaceful political dissent, not just riots.”

Sumption said China was increasingly intervening in legal decisions in the territory.

“There is the problem that under the basic law, if China doesn’t like the court’s decisions, they can reverse them by what is called an interpretation, although it’s usually just a legislative intervention … It was initially unclear how frequently this would be used, but recent incidents have indicated that the Chinese are determined to use this provision in order to ensure that its opponents lose.”

At the end of May, 14 pro-democracy activists were found guilty of subversion in the largest application of the national security law to date. They included the former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung and Helena Wong, the journalist turned campaigner Gwyneth Ho and others who joined the mass protests of 2019.

“I think that the picture is getting darker,” Sumption said. “The judgment on 30 May against the 14 democracy activists was a major indication of the lengths to which some judges are prepared to go to ensure that Beijing’s campaign against those who have supported democracy succeeds.”

Reported by the SCMP, Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office offers a forthright view of Lord Sumption in an online commentary…

It said Sumption’s “dishonesty, untrustworthiness and lack of integrity” fully showed that he had willingly allowed himself to be “politically hijacked”, becoming a tool to politicians from the United Kingdom and other foreign countries.

“By destroying his own reputation and choosing to stand on the wrong side of history, he will inevitably face endless regret,” it said.

…The commentary also took aim at Sumption’s remark that justices had to operate in an “impossible political environment created by China”, which required “unusual courage” to “swim against such a strong political tide”.

“In order to provide a tribute to the UK and politicians from certain countries, Sumption has trampled on the dignity of the rule of law and insulted his fellow judges – this can be considered a disgrace to the legal profession,” it added.

Via the Standard, Patrick Keane, one of the Australian judges on the Court of Final Appeal’s overseas panel, says the Hong Kong judiciary remains independent…

…a red line for him would be if the government is pressuring the judiciary or refusing to accept the decisions of the courts, which he does not believe is happening.

”There can be a point it has been diminished to an effect that trials are show trials – from those I’ve spoken to they don’t see themselves as conducting show trials,” he said.

Critics have said calls from Beijing for the judiciary to be patriotic and direct criticism of decisions in political cases undermine the local system.

“Do you think it amounts to political pressure when news media in Australia criticize judges who give sentences they deem to be too short?” Keane said.

Is there an Australian equivalent of Ta Kung Pao?

The Hong Kong government imposes sanctions on ‘absconders’ like Nathan Law. As well as revoking their Hong Kong passports, the authorities have banned anyone from giving them financial assistance. Ronny Tong says even following them on online platforms could now be illegal…

Subscribers to the six absconded national security fugitives’ Patreon or YouTube channels might breach the law, Executive Council member and senior counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah said.

The latest measures will effectively prevent the fugitives from receiving funds for activities endangering national security, he said.

Tong said paid subscriptions show an obvious intent to support their illegal activities overseas.

As subscribers can see the fugitives’ content, they cannot argue that they did not know what they were supporting, he added.

Tong said free subscriptions that do not involve funding may also help the fugitives indirectly, as they can receive money with a high number of subscriptions.

He said Hongkongers should act carefully and avoid subscribing to the fugitives’ channels.

What about just looking at them?

For a breath of fresh air – a quick video panning Victoria Harbour ‘after rain’, with city lights reflecting from clouds, etc.