US agency slammed for bully tactics on Lam, HK prosecutors

Hong Kong has "strongly condemned" a US rights agency for "intimidating" Hong Kong prosecutors after it called for Washington and the international community to impose sanctions against new Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and 15 public prosecutors for "political prosecution" of activists.

Lam said he is not concerned about "so-called sanctions."

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China released a report a day before - entitled "Hong Kong prosecutors play a key role in carrying out political prosecution" - which said at least 10,500 people in Hong Kong were arrested for political and protest-related activity.

The commission, an independent agency of the US government, said "the number of political prosecutions and arbitrary detentions could dramatically decrease" if prosecutors in Hong Kong "are allowed to exercise the discretion given them under the city's Prosecution Code." The report added: "However, the growing number of political prisoners in Hong Kong and the role of the Justice Department and prosecutors in expanding arbitrary detention may require actions from the United States and the international community to address the erosion of the rule of law and human rights, including additional sanctions authorized by the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act."

The commission recommended sanctions on Lam as it cited a news report that he is "widely expected to continue to oversee the tough prosecutorial approach of his predecessor, Teresa Cheng Yuek-wah, against opposition figures, activists and protesters."

The commission's report also named 15 prosecutors responsible for handling national security law and protest-related charges. They include director of public prosecution Maggie Yang Mei-kei and acting deputy director of public prosecution of the special duties team Anthony Chau Tin-hang.

The others are Laura Ng Shuk-kuen, William Siu Kai-yip, Andy Lo Tin-wai, Ivan Cheung Cheuk-kan, Alice Chan Shook-man, Crystal Chan Wing-sum, Cherry Chong Man-yan, Derek Lai Kim-wah, Wilson Lam Yi Yeung, Edward Lau Wan-cheung, Vincent Lee Ting-wai, Karen Ng Ka-yuet and Jennifer Tsui Sin-chi.

A government's spokesman last night said the "so-called 'staff research report'... once again manifests its hegemony by disseminating slanders and attempting to intimidate the prosecutors of the HKSAR government."

Law Society of Hong Kong president Chan Chak-ming said: "Hong Kong has a robust criminal justice system which guarantees prosecutorial and judicial independence."