Hong Kong's Law Society seeks addressal of legal basis for ousting opposition lawmakers
Nov 14, 2020
Hong Kong, November 14 : Hong Kong's Law Society has urged the government to address the legal basis behind the removal of four opposition lawmakers who were disqualified after the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) passed the resolution, which gives local authorities power to unseat politicians without having to go through the city's courts.
According to a report by South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's Law Society, which represents more than 10,000 solicitors, urged the government on Friday to address the legal basis behind the removal, a day after the Bar Association accused Beijing of impairing "legal certainty" with its ruling.
"To ensure due process, transparency and accountability in all its actions, the [city] government is duty bound to address clearly those concerns, in particular the legal basis on which the disqualification was effected," the Law Society was quoted as saying in a statement.
"Legislators are representatives of the people who must not be unseated by the executive branch alone; otherwise the right of political participation would be seriously abrogated," said the seven Law Society council members -- including University of Hong Kong academic Eric Cheung Tat-ming and human rights lawyers Kenneth Lam, Mark Daly and Jonathan Ross.
The council also included three newly elected council members, Davyd Wong, Michelle Tsoi Wing-tak and Janet Pang Ho-yan.
All the Hong Kong's opposition lawmakers on Wednesday resigned together in the protest of China top legislative body's resolution, Hong Kong Free Press reported.
Democratic Party lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, convenor of the pro-democracy bloc slammed Beijing resolution as "ridiculous" and said the decision signalled Beijing complete abandonment of the Basic Law.
"Hong Kong, from today onward, can no longer tell the world that there is 'one country, two systems'," Wu said.
Earlier, four Hong Kong opposition lawmakers were disqualified with immediate effect after the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) passed the resolution, South China Morning Post reported.
The lawmakers unseated were the Civic Party's Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok, alongside Kenneth Leung of the Professionals Guild, who were previously barred from running in the now-postponed Legislative Council elections, originally slated for September.
