The candidate is leaving the Hong Kong Bar Association elections for security fears

HONG KONG, August 21 (Reuters) – A board member of a professional group of lawyers in Hong Kong withdrew his candidacy on Saturday to seek re-election next week, citing fears for his safety and security. of his family.

Tuesday’s election to the Law Society, a professional and regulatory body of 12,000 lawyers, comes as critics say the global financial center’s legal system faces pressure from a national security law imposed by China.

While Hong Kong and Beijing officials have dismissed these concerns, normally low polls have yielded unusual levels of control by pro-Beijing media and senior city officials.

Beijing has tightened its control over Hong Kong, China’s freest city since Britain returned the former colony in 1997. Last year a national security law caused a chill in Hong Kong and caused the arrest of dozens of pro-democracy politicians and activists, as well as the dissolution of the city’s teachers’ union and civil rights groups.

“For my own safety and the safety of my family, I announce my intention to withdraw my name as a candidate,” lawyer Jonathan Ross said in a statement, without specifying the risks driving what is seen. as a rare step.

“It is a shameful and sad day for Hong Kong that the elections to the board of our honorable institution have sunk to this level.”

Ross declined further comment on Reuters.

A government spokesman told Reuters in response to questions by email: “Anyone who has reason to believe their safety is threatened can turn to the police for help.”

The Bar Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although the Bar Association is considered more conservative than the Bar Association, both bodies have traditionally played a vigilant role over legal changes and are represented on a court that recommends the appointments of lawyers. judges.

Four of the eleven candidates running for five council seats in Tuesday’s election are considered relatively outspoken, prompting fears by some government officials about an emerging political agenda.

The Hong Kong government would consider severing ties with the Bar Association if it were “outdated by politics,” Hong Kong Executive President Carrie Lam said Tuesday.

Some lawyers said Ross’ measure was uncommon for a generally low-profile group of commercial lawyers, who called it a sign of tension in the city.

China’s People Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper, has said the Bar Association should not become a “politicized group” and has called the Bar Association a “running rat.” .

When Beijing regained control of Hong Kong, it guaranteed extensive social and trade freedom that would fall under a “one country, two systems” model. Fears that these freedoms would be threatened sparked months of sometimes violent protests in the city in 2019.

(Correct the number of candidates running to 11 in paragraph 11)

Reports by Scott Murdoch, Greg Torode and Anne Marie Roantree; Edited by Clarence Fernandez and William Mallard

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