HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s most senior judge made a rare public plea on Monday for the rule of law to be protected amid often violent anti-China protests rocking the financial center since mid-2019. Hong Kong’s judiciary, which underpins the former British colony’s semi-autonomous status since returning to China in 1997, is facing the strain of more than 7,000 arrests at the youth-led demonstrations. Speaking at the same event, Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Philip Dykes noted Hong Kong’s “extraordinary year” in 2019 and cited provisions allowing government prosecutors to drop cases in the public interest. They are representative of a large section of Hong Kong society.”Ma’s successor, who is due to take office early next year, has yet to be announced. (Reporting by Greg Torode and Clare Jim in Hong Kong; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Source: National Post January 13, 2020 14:15 UTC