Magna Carta history can teach Hongkongers how to preserve the rule of law, British envoy says

The historic legal document, first agreed 800 years ago, goes on display in Hong Kong

JOYCE NG

JOYCE.NG@SCMP.COM

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 10 November, 2015, 2:34pm

UPDATED : Tuesday, 10 November, 2015, 3:54pm

This 1217 copy of the Magna Carta is on display in Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hongkongers can learn how to preserve the rule of law by looking at the history of the Magna Carta, the British consul general in the city says.

The historic legal document, first agreed 800 years ago this year between King John of England and a group of rebel barons, is currently on display in Hong Kong as part of an exhibition at Sotheby’s gallery in Admiralty which lasts until Saturday.

“Magna Carta is part of your shared heritage - our shared common law traditions,” said Caroline Wilson this morning at the launch of the exhibition.

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Asked about the significance of the document coming to Hong Kong at a time when there is renewed debate about the rule of law in the city and the chief executive’s position under it, Wilson said: “I think the controversy about the rule of law is nothing new. There was also lots of controversy 800 years ago.”

This 1217 copy of the Magna Carta is on display in Hong Kong. Photo: Sam TsangIn September, Zhang Xiaoming, the director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, sparked concern about the rule of law when he said the chief executive was in a “special legal position that transcends” the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

But Wilson said: “Hong Kong does have rule of law … And we can learn a lot by looking at the history of the Magna Carta in order to learn how people preserved the rule of law.”

The Magna Carta, also known as the Great Charter, established the principle that everybody, including the sovereign, is subject to the law. The most famous clause declares that no free man shall be imprisoned without trial by his equals or by the law of the land, and that no one shall be denied justice.

In 1217 the document was reissued by Henry III, four copies of which survive to this day. One of them, usually housed at Hereford Cathedral in England, is on loan to Hong Kong. That document also contains the only surviving copy of a letter sent by King John two years earlier to royal officials ordering them to implement the charter.

An armed guard has been hired to protect the exhibits at the Sotheby’s gallery.

http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1877385/magna-carta-history-can-teach-hongkongers-how-preserve-rule