Hong Kong Bar Association chair urges global unity against planned US sanctions on judges

The Hong Kong Bar Association’s new chairman has called for legal associations worldwide to join hands in opposing potential punitive measures from the US against judges and prosecutors, saying any interference in judicial processes will undermine the administration of justice.

Senior Counsel Jose-Antonio Maurellet, in his first interview with an English-language media outlet since helming the group representing barristers in Hong Kong, also shared plans to relaunch the body’s pro bono scheme later this year and partner with more non-profit groups to help those who could not afford legal services.

Maurellet, a Hong Kong-born Eurasian and a corporate law specialist fluent in English, Cantonese and French, succeeded Victor Dawes last month amid uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and concerns over the potential implications for Hong Kong’s legal community.

A bipartisan group of American lawmakers recently introduced a bill aimed at sanctioning Hong Kong’s judges and prosecutors involved in the cases of activists charged under the national security law.

The bill, if passed, would require the US president to decide within six months whether to introduce the sanctions under existing legislation.

When asked about the impact of such potential actions, Maurellet said: “All forms of interference [in legal and judicial work] are actually bad and undermine the administration of justice. So we hope that other legal associations around the world will join us in opposing this.”