Australian judge quits Hong Kong top court

HONG KONG: An Australian judge has resigned from Hong Kong´s highest court amid a years-long exodus of overseas jurists, following Beijing´s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the Chinese finance hub.

The city´s judiciary said on Friday that Robert French had cut short his term, which was meant to expire in May 2026, adding that the court´s operation will not be affected. Hong Kong is a common law jurisdiction separate from mainland China and invites overseas judges to hear cases at its Court of Final Appeal.

Their presence has been seen as a bellwether for the rule of law since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. But French said in a statement on Friday that the role of overseas judges has “become increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic”, according to the South China Morning Post.

The judiciary said French “reaffirmed his continued respect for the independence and integrity of all of the judges on the Court of Final Appeal” in his resignation letter. A Hong Kong government spokesperson “expressed regret” at French´s resignation and thanked him for his contributions.

French, a former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, first joined the Hong Kong bench in 2017. Beijing passed a national security law on the former British colony in 2020, following huge and often violent pro-democracy protests the year before.