Hong Kong's top court rejected a challenge to a law banning public advocacy for election boycotts or invalid ballots, deeming the restriction a "modest" interference necessary for safeguarding electoral participation and confidence.
Hong Kong's government has issued a strong rebuttal to a US newspaper's commentary titled "Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker," which described new national security legislation as "repressive." The government stated the new regulation clarifies offenses and ensures fair trials.
Common law jurisdictions, including the US and UK, recognize that national security risk assessments are within the executive branch's exclusive competence, not the courts', due to the need for sensitive intelligence and predictive judgments.
South Korean police are seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of the People's Democratic Party, Han Myung-hee and Han Jun-hye, on charges of violating the National Security Law. The party denies the allegations, calling the investigation a political crackdown.
Hong Kong officials stated that new legislation allowing certain criminal cases to be handled under national security procedures will be used rarely. The regulation empowers the chief executive to classify offenses as endangering national security, leading to stricter procedures like longer detention and tougher bail conditions.
Hong Kong's government has proposed subsidiary legislation to clarify what constitutes national security cases, introducing a certification mechanism by the Chief Executive to classify such cases, affecting trial procedures.
US President Donald Trump expressed pessimism about the release of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai after discussing the case with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi described Lai's situation as 'tough,' while China's foreign ministry reiterated its stance that Lai was involved in destabilizing activities and that Hong Kong affairs are internal.
Hong Kong's justice secretary has applied to take control of media tycoon Jimmy Lai's assets, seeking to seize 62 personal and corporate bank accounts holding HK$56.5 million and shares in 17 companies. The application includes Next Digital, the parent company of defunct Apple Daily, in which Lai holds a 71.26% stake. Shares in two companies could be worth HK$71.4 million.
