Hong Kong national security judge Alex Lee promoted to Court of Appeal – South China Morning Post

Hong Kong national security judge Alex Lee promoted to Court of Appeal  South China Morning Post

A Hong Kong judge who has overseen high-profile national security trials, including the collusion case of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, has been promoted to the Court of Appeal. A Judiciary statement on Thursday said the chief executive had accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission to appoint Court of First Instance judge Alex Lee Wan-tang to his new role, with his appointment taking effect on the day. Handpicked by the city leader to adjudicate national security proceedings, Lee was among a three-judge panel that sentenced Lai to 20 years behind bars earlier this year for colluding with foreign forces and publishing seditious articles. He also oversaw the subversion trials of 47 opposition politicians and activists involved in an unofficial legislative primary election in 2020, and of the organisers of the city’s Tiananmen Square vigil.

All three cases were tried without a jury. Born in 1966, Lee is a former senior assistant director of public prosecutions in the Department of Justice. He joined the judiciary in 2013, serving as a district judge for six years before joining the bench of the Court of First Instance. Lee was noted for releasing Lai on a HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bail and placing him under house arrest in December 2020. The move drew a strong backlash from pro-Beijing media, with