British judge on Hong Kong’s top court, facing criticism, quits media freedom group’s advisory panel

HONG KONG (AP) — A British judge who was part of a Hong Kong court panel that unanimously dismissed an appeal from imprisoned prominent publisher Jimmy Lai and six former pro-democracy lawmakers has quit his position on an advisory board to an international media freedom group because of concerns over his role on the city’s top court.

David Neuberger, a non-permanent overseas judge on Hong Kong’s highest court, announced his decision to step down as chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom in a statement dated Wednesday. The panel advises the Media Freedom Coalition, a partnership of countries that advocates for media freedom.

Neuberger, also a former president of the Supreme Court in the U.K., said he had raised the possibility of leaving the advisory panel some months ago because he had been in the post for nearly five years and there were concerns raised about his role in Hong Kong.

“I have now concluded that I should go now, because it is undesirable that focus on my position as a non-permanent Judge in Hong Kong should take away, or distract, from the critical and impactful work of the High Level Panel,” he said.

He did not specify what the concerns were in his statement.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a common law jurisdiction, unlike mainland China. Since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, non-permanent overseas judges have continued to serve on the city’s top court.

Neuberger’s announcement came days after he and four other judges at the court ruled against an appeal brought by Lai and the six former pro-democracy lawmakers over their convictions linked to their roles in one of the biggest anti-government protests in 2019.

That ruling has drawn criticism of Neuberger from