Two British judges resign from Hong Kong court. One cites the city’s ‘political situation’

HONG KONG (AP) — Two British judges have resigned from Hong Kong’s top court, the city’s judiciary said Thursday, deepening worries over the city’s rule of law under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

The judiciary said in a statement that Jonathan Sumption and Lawrence Collins, who both serve as non-permanent overseas judges of Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal, have tendered their resignations to the city leader. But it did not give further details about their decisions.

Collins told The Associated Press that his resignation was “because of the political situation in Hong Kong.” But he said he continues “to have the fullest confidence in the court and the total independence of its members.”

Sumption said he would make a statement next week.

Hong Kong’s Chief Justice Andrew Cheung noted their decisions with regret in a statement, reiterating the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and judicial independence in the city.

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

The pair’s resignations are an indicator of confidence in the city’s rule of law and judicial independence, especially after the enactment of the 2020 national security law that has all but wiped out public dissent. Many pro-democracy activists have been arrested under the law, including some of the city’s best-known democracy advocates.

Last week, a Hong Kong court found 14 pro-democracy activists guilty of conspiring to commit subversion in what was the city’s biggest national security case to date. They were among 47 activists who were accused of attempting to paralyze