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Henry Litton

18 articles published

The west’s PC question reaches Hong Kong: ‘What is a woman?’

In Asia, marriages exist as unions between DNA men and DNA women: 48 out of the region’s 51 territories agree on this point. But the issue is more complex if one of the individuals has changed sex. Such a case wound its way through Hong Kong courts, creating some interesting issues of law,…

January 14, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News News Opinion

The curious case of the police ID badges

Rule of Law? Or rule by judges? Do police officers have human rights? What has a case about police officers’ identification numbers got to do with a law against torture? These questions had curious answers in 2020 declaratory judgments in Hong Kong. Henry Litton looks back at some unusual legal logic. A PRINCIPAL TENET of…

January 7, 20240Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Why is Hong Kong’s recent same-sex marriage case a western debate?

A recent court case over same-sex marriage in Hong Kong was troubling; Not because it argued in favor or against such a development, but because it was based on a law that said nothing whatsoever on the subject. Furthermore, the debate spun itself off into areas that were clearly part of a very western discussion…

December 28, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Is the separation of powers a dead letter in Hong Kong?

Critics say that it has become harder to become a District Councillor in Hong Kong. But that was precisely the point. When we look at the dramatic change in the council's activities in recent years, the alterations make sense, say some observers. Nevertheless, the recent legal challenge to the revisions was problematic, as…

December 18, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Features Hong Kong News Opinion

Citizens Radio: a cautionary tale from the Magistrates Court

An ultra-simple magistracy-level case in which the facts were not in dispute was blown up into a years-long string of high level hearings by the improper injection of headline-friendly concepts from the west. Below, top legal commentator Henry Litton looks back at a notorious lawsuit which illustrates how Hong Kong's legal sector has been…

December 10, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News Opinion

How EU human rights laws are distorting our legal processes

The concept of “human rights” has triggered distortions in the legal process in Hong Kong that are causing serious problems for the judiciary, says Henry Litton, a senior legal commentator. This is the second of two parts, but can be read independently. To read the first part, click this line. To read an earlier essay…

December 4, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Hong Kong News News Opinion

Has the Hong Kong judiciary lost its way?

Hong Kong’s superb legal system was often rated best in Asia, and better than that of many places in the west. But it has been gradually undermined by absurd cases slipped into the system under the guise of “human rights” awareness, says former top judge Henry Litton, one of the world’s most respected legal minds.…

November 27, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

News Opinion

How the Human Rights Industry hijacked Hong Kong’s legal system

“Human Rights” sounds like such a worthy, positive concept. But it has been used to poison the Hong Kong legal system, says former judge Henry Litton, one of the most widely respected legal minds in common law. THE HUMAN RIGHTS INDUSTRY found its first roots in 1991 when the Hong Kong Bills of…

November 26, 20230Comments ByHenry Litton

Henry Litton

The west’s PC question reaches Hong Kong: ‘What is a woman?’

The curious case of the police ID badges

Why is Hong Kong’s recent same-sex marriage case a western debate?

Is the separation of powers a dead letter in Hong Kong?

Citizens Radio: a cautionary tale from the Magistrates Court

How EU human rights laws are distorting our legal processes

Has the Hong Kong judiciary lost its way?

How the Human Rights Industry hijacked Hong Kong’s legal system

Can Europe dare to do the smart thing, and partner with China in Africa?

Australia’s government lives in a Pentagon-penned fiction of US primacy

How the HK Bar Association lost its way – and was guided back on track