The National Security Law sent the dissident to jail. Australia hosted and honored a trio of Hong Kong National Security Law judges in March 2025.
by Mark Tarrant
On Monday, December 15, 2025, Hong Kong National Security Law judges Alex Lee, Esther Toh, and Susana Remedios found Jimmy Lai guilty of two National Security Law charges and one charge of sedition.
Australia’s judiciary will not be losing any sleep over the judgment of Hong Kong’s bogus court.
In March of this year, a trio of Hong Kong National Security Law judges landed on Australia’s sunny shores to attend the Asia-Pacific Judicial Colloquium in Canberra.
The trio—Hong Kong Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Justices Roberto Ribeiro, and Johnson Lam—are listed for sanction for human rights abuses under the U.S. 2023 legislative bill, The Hong Kong Sanctions Act, and the U.S. 2025 legislative bill, The Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act.
As U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, one of the three senators who introduced The Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act, explained in May 2025: “In Hong Kong, the CCP has completely corrupted the local judiciary and is turning it into a tool of intimidation and injustice…”
Unlike 78-year-old Jimmy Lai, who faces being locked away for what remains of his life, the trio of Hong Kong National Security Law judges had the red carpet rolled out for them during their stay in Australia.
Hong Kong Chief Justice Andrew Cheung enjoyed tea and Arnott’s biscuits with Acting NSW Chief Justice Julie Ward inside her chambers at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney, before continuing to Canberra.
On March 23, 2025, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency the Honorable Sam Mostyn AC, hosted a reception in Canberra for the Asia-Pacific Judicial Colloquium, which included the trio of Hong Kong National Security Law judges.
This is very embarrassing to King Charles III, Australia’s Head of State, whom the Governor-General represents.
After all, the Australian government has consistently called for the repeal of Hong Kong’s draconian national security law, the immediate release of Hong Kong’s political prisoners—including Australian Gordon Ng and British citizen Jimmy Lai—and for the Australian judges at the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (Gummow, Keane, and Allsop) to resign.
Hong Kong National Security Law arrest warrants and bounties have been issued for four Australian pro-Hong Kong democracy activists: Kevin Yam, Ted Hui, Dr. Feng Chongyi, and Wong Sau-wo.
The Hong Kong government press release for the trio’s Australian visit explains: “The delegation also met with several current and former Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal, providing them with updates on the latest developments in the rule of law and administration of justice in Hong Kong.”
In his MEMRI article “The Fall of Hong Kong: China’s Strategic Plan to Conquer Hong Kong and Purge It of Its People,” former deputy editor of “Wen Wei Po” Mr. Ching Cheong explains how “the Chinese Communist Party is implementing a strategic plan to destroy Hong Kong through a psychological warfare campaign against the population…”
The Australian judiciary is a willing participant in this psychological warfare campaign. Allowing the trio of Hong Kong National Security Law judges to enter Australia and interact with the Australian judiciary—including current and former Australian Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal judges—is a national security risk.
The Australian Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal judges have each sworn an oath of allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and to apply its laws, including the National Security Law.
The Chinese Communist Party can count on its fan boys and fan girls in the judiciary of His Majesty’s former penal colony to do its dirty work.
It’s a sweet spot, immune to Australian media critique.
The photographs of Justice Ribeiro sitting inside the Australian High Court in Canberra wearing his red socks as he presents his paper, Chief Justice Cheung holding a wrapped present with a ribbon while enjoying tea and biscuits with the Acting NSW Chief Justice, and the group shot of the Hong Kong trio with the Governor-General of Australia wearing her snakeskin shoes would be visions of Hell from Dante’s “Inferno” for Hong Kong’s political prisoners—including Australian citizen Gordon Ng and British citizen Jimmy Lai—who have been left to rot in Hong Kong’s jails.
Mark Tarrant grew up in Hong Kong and practices as a lawyer in Sydney. He also represented pro bono (i.e., for free) Drew Pavlou, the student University of Queensland expelled for his public criticism of the CCP.
