Hong Kong: The Hong Kong has temporarily barred the prominent British human rights lawyer, Mr. Timothy Owen, from defending a detained pro-democracy activist Mr. Jimmy Lai.

The application from British King’s Counsel Mr. Owen for an extension of his work visa to represent pro-democracy activist was rejected by the Hong Kong authorities .

The lawyer was scheduled to defend Mr. Lai, the Founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, who has been imprisoned for offences relating to protests since 2020.

Mr. Lai is charged with conspiring with others to demand the imposition of sanctions or a blockade as well as engaging in hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.

The activist also faces charges of collaboration with foreign forces to threaten national security as well as charges of sedition under a colonial-era legislation that is increasingly used to suppress dissent.

Mr. Lai could be punished with a life sentence, if found guilty under a national security law enforced on the former British colony by China’s governing Communist party.

The trial was postponed when the court learned that Hong Kong’s immigration department had rejected Mr. Owen’s request for the extension of his work visa. The British lawyer also claimed that he currently has a visa for another case.

After the previous ruling of local court that Mr. Owen could represent Mr. Lai, Hong Kong’s leader asked China’s top legislative body to decide whether foreign lawyers could participate in national security issues.

The Hong Kong government argued that allowing overseas lawyers work on national security cases posed a risk, as there was no way to assure the confidentiality of state secrets.

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