Proposed sanctions won't hurt legal exchanges: SJ
Proposed sanctions by the United States on local authorities would not deter international legal professionals from carrying out exchanges with Hong Kong, according to Secretary for Justice Paul Lam. He told a televised interview on Sunday that the proposed bill by a group of American congressional members to sanction 49 SAR officials and judges tasked with safeguarding national security was discussed during the recent Hong Kong Legal Week. "Everyone thinks nothing of it, because everyone understands it is a political move," Lam said on a TVB programme. The justice chief said Hong Kong has sufficient ways to deal with the possible sanctions, but did not disclose details. On Article 55 of the national security law, Lam said it's an exceptional clause and central authorities would have the final say on whether a case is transferred across the border, but that the law stays the same regardless of where the trial is held. "An offence will not turn into something else just because the mainland is exercising jurisdiction [over the case]... Only the procedures are different, not the law itself," he said. There have been suggestions that if the US sanctions on judges and prosecutors get the go-ahead, national security suspects could be tried on the mainland instead.