鄒幸彤後援會
發表於 : 週一 7月 11, 2022 10:07 pm
7月 12 日禮拜二,幸彤將在高等法院司法覆核主任裁判官羅德泉在今年 4 月 25 日拒絕免除交付程序報導限制(俗稱 87A)的決定。
有關決定源自支聯會、何俊仁、李卓人、鄒幸彤被控「煽動顛覆國家政權」案。今年 2 月 14 日,案件在西九龍裁判法官進行首個交付提訊日(Return Day)時,幸彤申請免除《裁判官條例》第 87A 條下對交付程序的報導限制,時任署理總裁判官羅德泉將申請陳詞押後到 3 月 9 日進行,後因疫情再推遲到 4 月 25 日,並在聽罷陳詞後拒絕幸彤的申請。
以下是摘自幸彤司法覆核申請狀的四項申請理據,後附中文摘譯供參考,內容以英文版本和提交法庭的文件為準。
Ground I: Error of law on s.87A / Ultra Vires
1. In reaching the Decision, the Acting Chief Magistrate mistakenly relied on a discretion he does not have under s.87A, MO.
2. S. 87A provides that:
(1) No person shall publish in Hong Kong a written report or broadcast in Hong Kong a report of any committal proceedings in Hong Kong containing any matter other than that permitted by subsection (7)
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a magistrate shall, on an application for the purpose made with reference to any committal proceedings by the accused or one of the accused, as the case may be, order that subsection (1) shall not apply to reports of those proceedings, and any such order shall be entered in the Magistrate’s Case Register”
3. The language of the section in plain: upon application by any defendant, the court is obliged to lift the reporting restrictions. There is no discretion to refuse. Nor can the Prosecution oppose what is essentially a defendant’s right to choose publicity over secrecy.
4. Such reading of the section is supported by the legislative history of s.87A, which shows that the sole purpose of the section is to protect the defendant. More particularly, to protect him or her from jurors who might have formed a prejudicial impression from news reporting: Hansard, 2 December 1970 (second reading of the Magistrates (Amendment) Bill).
5. There is also settled case law on the issue. s.87A originated from s.3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 from the U.K. English judges were unanimous in ruling that the court has no discretion to refuse to lift the restrictions upon a defendant's application, even in cases that might cause hardship to co-defendants, see R v Russell ex p Beaverbrook Newspaper Ltd and Anor [1969] 1 QB 342, at 347E-348A; R v Bow Street Magistrate, ex p Kray [1969] 1 QB 473, at 480D-F; R v Horsham Justices, ex p Farquharson and Anor [1982] 1 QB 762 at 786D-E, 796B-F, 802F.
6. There is no meaningful difference between s.87A and s.3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 on this issue, and no reason why the above case law does not apply.
7. In exercising a discretion he does not have, the Acting Chief Magistrate exceeded his authority under the MO, rendering the Decision ultra vires and unlawful.
Ground II: Error of law in the exercise of his discretion (if exists)
8. Even if the court does have a discretion under s.87A, the Acting Chief Magistrate erred in subverting or overlooking the principles of open justice
9. It is trite that the common law demands that justice should be done in public, as a safeguard against judicial arbitrariness or idiosyncrasy, plus to maintain the public confidence in the administration of justice. Publicity is the very soul of justice. Open justice must be the starting point where and until it is shown to be necessary to curtail such: Scott v Scott (1913) AC 417. In the matter of an Application by Asiaweek Limited and others (HCMP 2784/1984, unrep. 17 October 1984)
10. In treating a ban on reporting as the “primary principle” (大原則), and in effectively requiring the defendant to give reasons to justify wishing for unrestricted reporting, the Acting Chief Magistrate subverted the fundamental principle of open justice, turning the right to a public trial into a privilege.
Ground III: Taking into account irrelevant considerations and ignoring relevant considerations
11. The Acting Chief Magistrate gave no consideration at all to the risk to the impartiality of potential jurors, which is the raison d'être of s.87A. Instead, he relied much on the conduct of the public and pressure on (prosecution) witnesses, which are entirely irrelevant. The Defendant’s right to a fair and open hearing should not and cannot be curtailed just because some unnamed members of the public might possibly do something bad. Moreover, the risk of disruption to court proceedings was not substantiated by any evidence nor argued before the Acting Chief Magistrate. The Prosecution did not raise this as an issue and of course, neither would the Defence. The risk of intimidating potential witnesses is neither real, nor linked to whether reporting restrictions are lifted or not.
12. The Acting Chief Magistrate is also wrong to assume that there will be no prejudice to the defence just because the case was previously reported. A bare bore report that the defendant has been prosecuted is fundamentally different from a fair and accurate reporting of the committal proceedings. Without knowing the Defence’s case, the Acting Chief Magistrate simply cannot assume that no prejudice will be caused, and the right to fair trial demands that the Defendant should not feel obliged or pressured to disclose her case at such a preliminary stage. Indeed this may also be a reason why s.87A is formulated in mandatory terms; magistrates are simply not supposed to enquire into the reasons why the Defendant chose a particular strategy that is within her rights.
13. Most detrimentally the Acting Chief Magistrate gives no consideration at all of the importance of maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice, both locally and internationally. It is precisely when a case has attracted widespread attention that the court should be doubly careful to ensure that justice is seen to be done. Banning reporting because of public interest would only fuel distrust and suspicion. The Acting Chief Magistrate’s reasoning goes against the very rationale of open justice and is at risk of causing serious damage to the reputation of the judiciary.
Ground IV: Wednesbury Unreasonableness
14. Given the context of the case, the importance of open justice and the utter lack of any real risk to a fair trial that could be caused by reporting, the Decision is Wednesbury unreasonable even if the Acting Chief Magistrate does have a discretion under s.87A.
15. Publicity is itself an important component of a fair trial. What had happened was that in the name of ensuring a fair trial, the Defendant’s right to a fair trial was in fact infringed. A provision designed to protect the defendant is now being turned into an excuse to deny publicity and harm the defendant. This is wrong in law, unjust and unreasonable.
16. For the reasons set above, the Applicant respectfully asks this Honourable Court to allow the application and grant the relief sought. In view of the fact that committal proceedings are already ongoing and continue to be affected by reporting restrictions, and the requirement under Article 42 of the National Security Law that such cases should be handled in a timely manner, the Applicant also respectfully asks for an expedited hearing.
理據一:越權
在作出有關決定時,署理總裁判官錯誤地運用了《裁判官條例》第87A條並未賦予他的裁量權。有關條文語意清晰:只要任何被告提出申請,法庭就必須免除有關報導限制。法庭並無自由裁量權否決有關申請。控方亦無權反對有關申請。有關申請本質上是被告的權利,去選擇公開而非秘密。
這種理解得到87A立法歷史的支持。87A的立法過程顯示,訂立此條的唯一目的就是保護被告人。更具體來講,是以防陪審員從閱讀新聞報導中形成偏頗的印象。關於這個問題,也已經有明確判例。87A源自英國1967 Criminal Justice Act 的第3條。(在數宗判例中)英國的法官一致裁定,法庭無權拒絕被告人免除報導限制的申請,即便免除限制可能會為其他被告人帶來困難。這兩條條文之間並無實際差異,因此看不到任何理由有關案例不適用於當前爭議。
行使法律並未賦予的權力,署理總裁判官就是僭越了《裁判官條例》所允許的權限,這也使得他的決定是越權和非法。
理據二:裁量權行使錯誤(假設有裁量權的話)
即便假設法庭在87A條下有裁量權,署理總裁判官在行使該權力時也犯下錯誤,即違背或忽視了司法公開(Open Justice)原則。
普法通要求司法必須公開乃是老生常談。這樣做是為了防止司法受到恣意用權或個人喜惡的影響,也是為了維護公眾對司法的信心。公開是公義的靈魂。除非減少和限制公開被證明是有必要,否則司法公開必須是一切的起點。
署理總裁判官將報導限制視作「大原則」,而且實際上要求被告人論證為什麼希望免除報導限制,這是違背了司法公開的原則,並將獲得公開審訊的權利變成一種特權。
理據三:考慮無關因素,忽視有關因素
署理總裁判官完全沒有考慮未來陪審員的公正性所面臨的風險,而這正正是87A存在的理由。相反,他主要依賴公眾的行為,以及對(控方)證人的壓力,而作出決定,但這些是完全無關的因素。被告獲得公平和公開審訊的權利,不應該也不可以僅僅因為一些身份不明的公眾人士可能做一些不好的事就受到減損和限制。此外,法庭程序受到干擾的風險也並未在署理總裁判官席前得到任何舉證或陳詞支持。控方並未舉出這個問題,辯方當然也沒有。潛在證人受到恐嚇的風險並非真實,也與免除報導限制無關。
署理總裁判官也錯誤地假設,因為案件此前有被報導過,那麼辯方就不可能遭受偏見和不公。一個只講了被告人被檢控的乾癟報導,與一個關於交付程序的公平準確的報導,是不同的。不知道被告人所面對的指控和案情,署理總裁判官根本不能假設不存在任何偏見。而且,公平審訊的權利也要求被告不應在如此初步的階段就受壓要公開案情。這可能也是為什麼87A被寫成了一個強制性條款。裁判官根本不應該問為什麼辯方要選擇某一個辯方有權選擇的策略。
最為有害的是,署理總裁判官完全沒有考慮維護本地和國際上的公眾對司法信心的重要性。一單案件受到廣泛關注的時候,正正是法庭應該加倍認真保證司法和公義被看見的時候。以公眾關注為理由禁止報導,只會加劇懷疑和猜忌。署理總裁判官的理由違反了公開司法的基本原理,也可能為司法機構的聲譽招致嚴重的損害。
理據四:韋恩斯伯里式不合理**
考慮到案件背景、公開司法的重要性,以及公開報導對於公平審訊根本不會構成實質風險,即使假設裁判官在87A條下有裁量權,署理總裁判官的決定也是韋恩斯伯里式不合理。
公開本身就是公平審訊的重要組成部分。但現在我們看到的是,被告獲得公平審訊的權利,被以保障公平審訊之名損害。一個為了保護被告而設的法律條文,現在變成了禁止公開和傷害被告的藉口。這在法律上是錯誤的, 是不公正的,也是不合理的。
** 韋恩斯伯里式不合理(Wednesbury unreasonable)來自 Associated Provincial Picture Houses v Wednesbury Corporation [1948] 1 KB 223 一案,意思是有關決定極之荒謬,是任何有理智的人實際上都不會作出的。
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有關決定源自支聯會、何俊仁、李卓人、鄒幸彤被控「煽動顛覆國家政權」案。今年 2 月 14 日,案件在西九龍裁判法官進行首個交付提訊日(Return Day)時,幸彤申請免除《裁判官條例》第 87A 條下對交付程序的報導限制,時任署理總裁判官羅德泉將申請陳詞押後到 3 月 9 日進行,後因疫情再推遲到 4 月 25 日,並在聽罷陳詞後拒絕幸彤的申請。
以下是摘自幸彤司法覆核申請狀的四項申請理據,後附中文摘譯供參考,內容以英文版本和提交法庭的文件為準。
Ground I: Error of law on s.87A / Ultra Vires
1. In reaching the Decision, the Acting Chief Magistrate mistakenly relied on a discretion he does not have under s.87A, MO.
2. S. 87A provides that:
(1) No person shall publish in Hong Kong a written report or broadcast in Hong Kong a report of any committal proceedings in Hong Kong containing any matter other than that permitted by subsection (7)
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a magistrate shall, on an application for the purpose made with reference to any committal proceedings by the accused or one of the accused, as the case may be, order that subsection (1) shall not apply to reports of those proceedings, and any such order shall be entered in the Magistrate’s Case Register”
3. The language of the section in plain: upon application by any defendant, the court is obliged to lift the reporting restrictions. There is no discretion to refuse. Nor can the Prosecution oppose what is essentially a defendant’s right to choose publicity over secrecy.
4. Such reading of the section is supported by the legislative history of s.87A, which shows that the sole purpose of the section is to protect the defendant. More particularly, to protect him or her from jurors who might have formed a prejudicial impression from news reporting: Hansard, 2 December 1970 (second reading of the Magistrates (Amendment) Bill).
5. There is also settled case law on the issue. s.87A originated from s.3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 from the U.K. English judges were unanimous in ruling that the court has no discretion to refuse to lift the restrictions upon a defendant's application, even in cases that might cause hardship to co-defendants, see R v Russell ex p Beaverbrook Newspaper Ltd and Anor [1969] 1 QB 342, at 347E-348A; R v Bow Street Magistrate, ex p Kray [1969] 1 QB 473, at 480D-F; R v Horsham Justices, ex p Farquharson and Anor [1982] 1 QB 762 at 786D-E, 796B-F, 802F.
6. There is no meaningful difference between s.87A and s.3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 on this issue, and no reason why the above case law does not apply.
7. In exercising a discretion he does not have, the Acting Chief Magistrate exceeded his authority under the MO, rendering the Decision ultra vires and unlawful.
Ground II: Error of law in the exercise of his discretion (if exists)
8. Even if the court does have a discretion under s.87A, the Acting Chief Magistrate erred in subverting or overlooking the principles of open justice
9. It is trite that the common law demands that justice should be done in public, as a safeguard against judicial arbitrariness or idiosyncrasy, plus to maintain the public confidence in the administration of justice. Publicity is the very soul of justice. Open justice must be the starting point where and until it is shown to be necessary to curtail such: Scott v Scott (1913) AC 417. In the matter of an Application by Asiaweek Limited and others (HCMP 2784/1984, unrep. 17 October 1984)
10. In treating a ban on reporting as the “primary principle” (大原則), and in effectively requiring the defendant to give reasons to justify wishing for unrestricted reporting, the Acting Chief Magistrate subverted the fundamental principle of open justice, turning the right to a public trial into a privilege.
Ground III: Taking into account irrelevant considerations and ignoring relevant considerations
11. The Acting Chief Magistrate gave no consideration at all to the risk to the impartiality of potential jurors, which is the raison d'être of s.87A. Instead, he relied much on the conduct of the public and pressure on (prosecution) witnesses, which are entirely irrelevant. The Defendant’s right to a fair and open hearing should not and cannot be curtailed just because some unnamed members of the public might possibly do something bad. Moreover, the risk of disruption to court proceedings was not substantiated by any evidence nor argued before the Acting Chief Magistrate. The Prosecution did not raise this as an issue and of course, neither would the Defence. The risk of intimidating potential witnesses is neither real, nor linked to whether reporting restrictions are lifted or not.
12. The Acting Chief Magistrate is also wrong to assume that there will be no prejudice to the defence just because the case was previously reported. A bare bore report that the defendant has been prosecuted is fundamentally different from a fair and accurate reporting of the committal proceedings. Without knowing the Defence’s case, the Acting Chief Magistrate simply cannot assume that no prejudice will be caused, and the right to fair trial demands that the Defendant should not feel obliged or pressured to disclose her case at such a preliminary stage. Indeed this may also be a reason why s.87A is formulated in mandatory terms; magistrates are simply not supposed to enquire into the reasons why the Defendant chose a particular strategy that is within her rights.
13. Most detrimentally the Acting Chief Magistrate gives no consideration at all of the importance of maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice, both locally and internationally. It is precisely when a case has attracted widespread attention that the court should be doubly careful to ensure that justice is seen to be done. Banning reporting because of public interest would only fuel distrust and suspicion. The Acting Chief Magistrate’s reasoning goes against the very rationale of open justice and is at risk of causing serious damage to the reputation of the judiciary.
Ground IV: Wednesbury Unreasonableness
14. Given the context of the case, the importance of open justice and the utter lack of any real risk to a fair trial that could be caused by reporting, the Decision is Wednesbury unreasonable even if the Acting Chief Magistrate does have a discretion under s.87A.
15. Publicity is itself an important component of a fair trial. What had happened was that in the name of ensuring a fair trial, the Defendant’s right to a fair trial was in fact infringed. A provision designed to protect the defendant is now being turned into an excuse to deny publicity and harm the defendant. This is wrong in law, unjust and unreasonable.
16. For the reasons set above, the Applicant respectfully asks this Honourable Court to allow the application and grant the relief sought. In view of the fact that committal proceedings are already ongoing and continue to be affected by reporting restrictions, and the requirement under Article 42 of the National Security Law that such cases should be handled in a timely manner, the Applicant also respectfully asks for an expedited hearing.
理據一:越權
在作出有關決定時,署理總裁判官錯誤地運用了《裁判官條例》第87A條並未賦予他的裁量權。有關條文語意清晰:只要任何被告提出申請,法庭就必須免除有關報導限制。法庭並無自由裁量權否決有關申請。控方亦無權反對有關申請。有關申請本質上是被告的權利,去選擇公開而非秘密。
這種理解得到87A立法歷史的支持。87A的立法過程顯示,訂立此條的唯一目的就是保護被告人。更具體來講,是以防陪審員從閱讀新聞報導中形成偏頗的印象。關於這個問題,也已經有明確判例。87A源自英國1967 Criminal Justice Act 的第3條。(在數宗判例中)英國的法官一致裁定,法庭無權拒絕被告人免除報導限制的申請,即便免除限制可能會為其他被告人帶來困難。這兩條條文之間並無實際差異,因此看不到任何理由有關案例不適用於當前爭議。
行使法律並未賦予的權力,署理總裁判官就是僭越了《裁判官條例》所允許的權限,這也使得他的決定是越權和非法。
理據二:裁量權行使錯誤(假設有裁量權的話)
即便假設法庭在87A條下有裁量權,署理總裁判官在行使該權力時也犯下錯誤,即違背或忽視了司法公開(Open Justice)原則。
普法通要求司法必須公開乃是老生常談。這樣做是為了防止司法受到恣意用權或個人喜惡的影響,也是為了維護公眾對司法的信心。公開是公義的靈魂。除非減少和限制公開被證明是有必要,否則司法公開必須是一切的起點。
署理總裁判官將報導限制視作「大原則」,而且實際上要求被告人論證為什麼希望免除報導限制,這是違背了司法公開的原則,並將獲得公開審訊的權利變成一種特權。
理據三:考慮無關因素,忽視有關因素
署理總裁判官完全沒有考慮未來陪審員的公正性所面臨的風險,而這正正是87A存在的理由。相反,他主要依賴公眾的行為,以及對(控方)證人的壓力,而作出決定,但這些是完全無關的因素。被告獲得公平和公開審訊的權利,不應該也不可以僅僅因為一些身份不明的公眾人士可能做一些不好的事就受到減損和限制。此外,法庭程序受到干擾的風險也並未在署理總裁判官席前得到任何舉證或陳詞支持。控方並未舉出這個問題,辯方當然也沒有。潛在證人受到恐嚇的風險並非真實,也與免除報導限制無關。
署理總裁判官也錯誤地假設,因為案件此前有被報導過,那麼辯方就不可能遭受偏見和不公。一個只講了被告人被檢控的乾癟報導,與一個關於交付程序的公平準確的報導,是不同的。不知道被告人所面對的指控和案情,署理總裁判官根本不能假設不存在任何偏見。而且,公平審訊的權利也要求被告不應在如此初步的階段就受壓要公開案情。這可能也是為什麼87A被寫成了一個強制性條款。裁判官根本不應該問為什麼辯方要選擇某一個辯方有權選擇的策略。
最為有害的是,署理總裁判官完全沒有考慮維護本地和國際上的公眾對司法信心的重要性。一單案件受到廣泛關注的時候,正正是法庭應該加倍認真保證司法和公義被看見的時候。以公眾關注為理由禁止報導,只會加劇懷疑和猜忌。署理總裁判官的理由違反了公開司法的基本原理,也可能為司法機構的聲譽招致嚴重的損害。
理據四:韋恩斯伯里式不合理**
考慮到案件背景、公開司法的重要性,以及公開報導對於公平審訊根本不會構成實質風險,即使假設裁判官在87A條下有裁量權,署理總裁判官的決定也是韋恩斯伯里式不合理。
公開本身就是公平審訊的重要組成部分。但現在我們看到的是,被告獲得公平審訊的權利,被以保障公平審訊之名損害。一個為了保護被告而設的法律條文,現在變成了禁止公開和傷害被告的藉口。這在法律上是錯誤的, 是不公正的,也是不合理的。
** 韋恩斯伯里式不合理(Wednesbury unreasonable)來自 Associated Provincial Picture Houses v Wednesbury Corporation [1948] 1 KB 223 一案,意思是有關決定極之荒謬,是任何有理智的人實際上都不會作出的。
https://www.facebook.com/tonyeechowpages/