A controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong that prompted tens of thousands of people in the city to take to the streets also prompted Hong Kong’s Bar Association and Law Society to issue strong statements of concern. But global law firms in Hong Kong have largely remained silent.
The Hong Kong government is trying to amend an extradition law that would allow the city’s authorities to send alleged criminals in Hong Kong to China. Political crimes are not included in the list of crimes that would allow for extradition, but critics fear the new law would also target political activists. They worry that under the new law, anyone in Hong Kong could be picked up and put on trial in China, which has a different legal standard and where judges must answer to the Communist Party.
