Roberto Ribeiro (judge)

Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro (Chinese: 李義, born 20 March 1949[1]) is a Hong Kong judge and honorary lecturer in law at the University of Hong Kong. He is currently one of the three permanent judges for the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong, and is the longest serving judge in that court.[2]

The Honourable Mr Justice
Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro
PJ
李義
Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
Assumed office
1 September 2000
Designated National Security Law Judge
Assumed office
2020
Appointed byCarrie Lam
Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court
In office
2000–2000
Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
In office
1999–2000
Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court
In office
1997–1999
Appointed byTung Chee-hwa
Personal details
Born (1949-03-20) 20 March 1949
British Hong Kong
NationalityBritish[1]
Alma materLondon School of Economics
Roberto Ribeiro
Traditional Chinese李義
Simplified Chinese李义

Early life and education

Born Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro, into a Portuguese-descent family in Hong Kong, he received his elementary and secondary education in Hong Kong. He studied in La Salle College.

Upon graduating with honours from the London School of Economics (LL.B. 1971, LL.M. 1972), Ribeiro returned to Hong Kong, and joined the faculty of law of the University of Hong Kong as a lecturer in 1972. He initially taught in the fields of criminal law and jurisprudence, but later extended his teaching to labour law and civil procedure.[3]

After seven years of academic life, Ribeiro entered into private practice in 1979, and quickly established himself as an expert in admiralty and maritime law. He was a member of Temple Chambers during his time in private practice.[4] He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990, and is a patron of the Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal. He acted for the British government in the Spycatcher case, and for the Airport Authority during the enquiry into the botched opening of Chek Lap Kok airport in 1998.[3]

Judicial career

In 1997, Ribeiro was appointed as a Recorder (part-time judge) of the High Court.

Ribeiro quickly rose through the ranks, and was appointed Judge of the High Court in 1999, promoted to the Court of Appeal (High Court) as a Justice of Appeal in 2000, and a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal the same year.[5]

As the longest-serving judge of the court, Ribeiro has been involved in numerous important cases, particularly in the area of constitutional law. These include cases concerning the Right of Abode, sovereign immunity, freedom of speech, and the election process, but also extend to other areas such as maintenance and champerty, the internet, LGBT rights, civil partnerships, employment, medical negligence, and divorce.[3]

In May 2023, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) of the United States Congress suggested the United States government imposing sanctions on Ribeiro to counter the erosion of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong over his handling of Jimmy Lai's national security law case.[6][7]

Personal

Ribeiro was for many years President of Alliance Française in Hong Kong, and has been a member of the boards of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. He has been made an officer of the Légion d'Honneur in France. He is an Honorary Bencher of the Inner Temple in London, and an Honorary Fellow of both the London School of Economics and St Hugh's College, Oxford. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Hong Kong in 2019.[3]

References
  1. "Legislative Council Brief Resolution under section 7A of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap.484)" (PDF). legco.gov.hk. June 2000. p. 9. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. "Sir Alan Huggins: colonial judge". The Times. 11 January 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  3. "HKU Honorary Graduates - Graduate Detail". www4.hku.hk.
  4. "History | Temple Chambers". Temple Chambers.
  5. "Resolution under section 7A of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap.484)" (PDF). Legco.gov.hk. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  6. "ONE CITY, TWO LEGAL SYSTEMS: HONG KONG JUDGES' ROLE IN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS UNDER THE NATIONAL SECURITY LAW". Congressional-Executive Commission on China. 10 May 2023.
  7. "No bail should be granted to defendants charged under national security law, says prosecutor". The Standard. 1 February 2021.
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