CCTV cameras will be installed in all courtrooms at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building, Hong Kong’s Judiciary has announced. Security checks will also be implemented at the District Court in Wan Chai.
Security camera recording began from October 17, according to a statement from the Judiciary. The move was to “deter unruly behaviour or incidents inside courtrooms.”
The audio recording also said that judges had the power to give directions on court users’ clothing, conduct or any items they displayed, and that anyone who disobeyed the rules could be barred from the courtroom or court building.
People in the public gallery sometimes wave or shout greetings or slogans to defendants, usually at the beginning or the end of protest-related court hearings or national security and sedition cases.
On some rare occasions, people in the public gallery might react to comments made by judges, lawyers or defendants during the court hearing.
Six people were arrested by the national security police under the colonial-era sedition law in April after they were suspected of disrupting hearings at various courts. Two people were later charged under the sedition law. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Security checks, which have already been launched at the West Kowloon court and the High Court, were designed to prevent “prohibited items” – including knives and liquids – from being brought into designated areas of the courthouse, the Judiciary said in Friday’s statement.
Screenings will be conducted on all nine court floors of the Wan Chai court building from October 28, where court goers will have to undergo body screenings as well as bag inspections. “The Judiciary urges all court users to arrive at the District Court earlier, in particular during peak hours in the morning or after lunch break,” the statement read.
Visitors will also be barred from bringing water or drinks to the court floors. The Judiciary said that drinking water will be provided, and that vending machines are available on floors.
