HK lawyer groups slam personal attacks on judge

Hong Kong’s two major groups of lawyers have strongly condemned internet abuse directed at a judge who handed down severe sentences in a series of criminal trials related to the 2016 Mong Kok riot.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Law Society of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Bar Association criticized the “disparaging and abusive” online comments on High Court Judge Anthea Pang Po-kam and her family. They warned that these attacks will “erode public confidence in the judiciary and the due process of the law”.

The comments might even constitute contempt of court, the statement pointed out, which is a serious offense under Hong Kong’s legal system.

These comments have nothing to do with the correctness of the judgment; they therefore serve no useful purpose but divert attention away from the real issues which should be addressed in any public discourse, the statement reads.

Noting that both organizations support people’s freedom to express opinions, the two groups also emphasized that discussions or debates should be conducted in a rational way. Personal attacks on the judge are “entirely inappropriate” and “unacceptable”.

In June, Pang jailed radical activist Edward Leung Tin-kei for six years and co-defendant Lo Kin-man for seven years, the most severe punishments for the rioting offense imposed in Hong Kong.

They were sentenced for their leading roles in the riot which injured 130 people, including 90 police officers.

The decision was followed by spate of online attacks toward the judge. Her private information was disclosed in an online post, in which internet users mocked her for being a widow and even cursed her to death.

The Department of Justice later announced it had handed the online abuse case to the city’s law-enforcement officials. It warned in a statement that personal attacks or insulting comments on judges could undermine Hong Kong’s judicial independence and constitute contempt of court.

The department said they would consider the case fairly and in accordance with the Prosecution Code, the applicable legal principles and relevant evidence.

In Hong Kong, insulting behavior toward a magistrate or a judge may bring maximum penalty of a HK$10,000 fine and imprisonment for two years.