One of the 14 foreign judges on Hong Kong’s highest court has resigned due to concerns over a sweeping new national security law imposed by Beijing on the city, Australia’s national broadcaster reported on Friday.
The office of the city’s leader Carrie Lam confirmed the resignation of Australian judge James Spigelman but did not give a reason.
Spigelman, the former chief justice of New South Wales, is the first senior judge to resign and publicly cite the law, passed by China’s parliament on June 30 without any Hong Kong legislative process or consultation.
The Polish-born jurist told the ABC that he had resigned for reasons “related to the content of the national security legislation” but did not elaborate further.
Spigelman did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
Local and international legal circles have been alarmed at Beijing’s imposition of the security law, fearing it erodes the former British colony’s autonomy and freedoms.
