The Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Monday strongly condemned a bomb threat against a magistrate handling national security cases.

The office of Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, one of the six judges designated to adjudicate national security proceedings, received a call threating to blow up So and his family members on Thursday morning after So rejected the bail application of media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.

The office firmly supports the SAR government and the police force in their efforts to take resolute enforcement action to bring the criminal into justice, protect the judge’s safety and safeguard the city’s rule of law 

spokesperson of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 

Lai is in custody on charges of fraud and is awaiting trial. So cited Lai as a flight risk in rejecting bail.

So is also in charge of the first case in which violating the National Security Law for Hong Kong is alleged. A motorcyclist who was allegedly holding a flag with a separatism-related catchphrase is accused of running his vehicle into a group of police officers during a July 1 protest.

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After the bomb threat, the SAR government said in a statement that it will not tolerate such criminal intimidation and pledged to apprehend those responsible as soon as possible.

The groundswell of condemnation came in as some local law associations, including the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, also condemned the death threats.

Ensuring the safety of judges when they perform their duties and protecting the judiciary independence is a basic consensus of all society, and it is a duty to safeguard the city’s rule of law, a spokesperson of the liaison office said in a statement.

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When designated judges make impartial orders or judgments in accordance with the HKSAR’s Basic Law and the city’s National Security Law, they not only fulfill their duties to protect Hong Kong residents’ legitimate rights, but also help the SAR to perform its constitutional duty to safeguard national security, the spokesperson said.

However, the acts of a few radicals who attempted to affect the judges’ rules by threats not only undermined the city’s rule of law, but also the city’s National Security Law, the spokesperson pointed out.

The Liaison Office “strongly condemns such violent and illegal acts”, and “firmly supports judges to perform their duties in accordance with the law”, the statement read.

The spokesperson also said the office firmly supports the SAR government and the police force in their efforts to take resolute enforcement action to bring the criminal into justice, protect the judge’s safety and safeguard the city’s rule of law.

Underlining that the rule of law is Hong Kong’s core value, the spokesperson said, adding that any act that undermines law and order in the city won’t win the public’s support and cannot be tolerated.

The spokesperson added that it is believed that all sectors will jointly support the SAR to perform its duty to safeguard national security and maintain the city’s long-term stability.