Why two UK judges resigned from Hong Kong’s top court

Two senior British judges have resigned from Hong Kong’s highest court, with one citing “the political situation” in the city.

The departure of Lords Lawrence Collins and Jonathan Sumption comes a week after a landmark case where 14 democracy activists were convicted of subversion.

The former UK Supreme Court justices were two of 10 overseas judges who sit on the city’s Court of Final Appeal – a legacy holdover of Hong Kong’s past as a British colony.

Legal experts and Western governments have warned that rule of law is at risk in Hong Kong, after China imposed security laws which critics say silence dissent.

But Hong Kong’s government denies this and claims the city is still a top jurisdiction.

On Thursday, Lord Collins, who had sat on the court since 2012, said he was resigning “because of the political situation in Hong Kong”.

“But I continue to have the fullest confidence in the court and the total independence of its members,” he said in a statement to media.

Lord Sumption did not issue a statement, Reuters news agency reported. The BBC has sought comment from both judges.

Their departure follows that of three other high-profile Western judges in recent years.

Hong Kong’s leader John Lee expressed regret over the judges’ resignations, but highlighted Lord Collins’ comments on the remaining judges’ independence.

He also defended the city’s security laws saying Hong Kong had “transitioned from chaos to order”.

“That did not change the human rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens in accordance with the law. Nor did it change the courts’ exercise of independent judicial power, free from any interference” he said.