Hong Kong legal aid for policy challenges hits decade low, director denies tighter vetting

Key facts

• Hong Kong approved only two legal aid applications for judicial reviews against government policies last year.
• This is the fewest number of approvals in the past decade.
• The Legal Aid Department received 110 applications for judicial reviews last year.
• This represents a 60% drop in applications compared to 2016.

Hong Kong authorities approved only two legal aid applications for judicial review challenges against government policies and decisions last year, the fewest in the past decade. The Legal Aid Department received 110 applications concerning judicial reviews of government policies and related organisations’ decisions last year, an almost 60 per cent drop from 2016, according to its annual reports.