New York State Bar Association Criticizes Hong Kong Government’s Action Against Pro-Democracy Legislator
9.27.2023
New York State Bar Association President Richard Lewis issued the following statement about Dennis W.H. Kwok:
Recently, the Hong Kong government issued an arrest warrant and a bounty of HK$1,000,000 (about US$127,500) for Dennis W.H. Kwok, a Hong Kong barrister, accusing him of committing an offense under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law for “collusion with foreign forces” on account of his peaceful advocacy in the United States, where he and his family now live. The offense carries the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Similar bounties have likewise been placed on seven other former lawmakers, commentators, and union representatives who, like Mr. Kwok, left Hong Kong and now live in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
Last year, Mr. Kwok received the New York State Bar Association International Section’s Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs for his eight years as a pro-democracy legislator representing the legal profession in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. Mr. Kwok was the sole elected representative of the Hong Kong legal profession from 2012 to 2020; in 2012, his peers elected him with a 56% majority and re-elected him in 2016 with a 69% majority.
In 2020, the People’s Republic of China disqualified him from practice due to his commitment to the rule of law, democracy, and freedom as guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an international treaty registered with the United Nations.
After leaving public office and relocating with his family to the United States, Mr. Kwok served as a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, as a distinguished scholar at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and as a visiting lecturer at Northeastern University. He is a partner in a New York-based law firm. His work as a strong opponent of modern slavery in the Asia Pacific Region continues.
The Hong Kong government’s warrant and bounty constitute transnational aggression and violate the rule of law. The Hong Kong government’s actions against Mr. Kwok and others also violate Hong Kong law, which guarantees freedom of speech and requires that laws relating to national security be enacted by the Hong Kong legislature.
NYSBA condemns the filing of a professional misconduct complaint against Mr. Kwok based on allegations that he has criticized both the National Security Law and the erosion of judicial independence in Hong Kong that resulted from it. NYSBA continues to stand with Mr. Kwok and with those who fight for the rule of law, democracy, and human rights around the globe.
