Some are preparing for the possibility they may never return.
HONG KONG – Anonymous threats sent by text message and email. GPS tracking devices placed under a car, and Chinese “funeral money” sent to an office. Ambushes by reporters working for state-controlled media. Accusations of disloyalty in the press.
Vidler tried to make an inconspicuous exit. He sent a suitcase to a friend before flying out. On the day of departure, he met the friend with the suitcase and went to the airport. But on arriving, reporters from state-backed media outlets were waiting. The intimidation is having a broad chilling effect, as less prominent lawyers also flee the city. A major catalyst is Hong Kong’s national security law, which was imposed in June 2020, after a wave of anti-government protests shook the city the previous year. The law includes life sentences for vaguely worded offenses such as subversion, secession, and collusion with foreign forces.
In the case of Vidler, the Chief Executive’s Office said, the judge had not suggested “that a lawyer could be guilty of a criminal offense by providing legal services.” For this article, Reuters interviewed more than 50 lawyers and legal academics in Hong Kong and abroad. For several weeks last year, a hotly contested election for the Law Society’s governing council became the arena in which the intimidation campaign played out. The target: a group of four candidates, the so-called “liberals,” who believed the Law Society should take a stand on issues including freedom of speech, judicial independence and the rule of law.
In the weeks ahead of the election, Reuters tallied more than 30 articles and editorials attacking the liberal candidates in pro-Beijing media outlets in Hong Kong. They were accused of being “independence advocates” for Hong Kong and having “ulterior political goals.” Law Society President C.M. Chan said all elections for the body’s governing council, including the 2021 election, were conducted “in a fair and transparent manner.” The Law Society, he said in response to questions from Reuters, “has spoken up in the past and will continue to speak up in future to defend the rule of law and to uphold the integrity and independence of our judiciary.
Beijing unleashed a barrage of criticism. China’s top representative body in Hong Kong, the liaison office, accused Harris of unprofessional conduct, personal arrogance, and ignorance. The office said the security law could not be challenged. A review of press releases published on the Bar Association website shows that since January this year, the Bar has made no critical comments on the national security law. The law has been widely condemned by international legal bodies and rights groups including the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
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