CE Slams 'unwarranted' Criticism Over Occupy Case

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday described the international community's criticism of the convictions of nine Occupy leaders as "unwarranted", saying judicial independence is alive and kicking in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's last governor, Chris Patten, and several German parliamentarians had questioned whether Tuesday's guilty verdicts were politically motivated, with Patten calling the outcome of last year's trial "appallingly divisive".

The European Union, meanwhile, warned that the case could have a detrimental effect on the SAR's democratic development.

But Lam stressed that the SAR's courts make their decisions independently.

"Some say the government has used court verdicts as a political weapon or a way to take political revenge … those are baseless and unwarranted comments that hurt Hong Kong's reputation," she said.

"I need to make it clear that under the Basic Law of the HKSAR, all prosecutions and judicial proceedings are conducted independently without any interference."

The nine pro-democracy figures, including legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, were found guilty of public nuisance-related charges over the 79-day Occupy protests in 2014.

They are all on bail ahead of sentencing by a District Court judge on April 24.