HONG KONG (Reuters): Hong Kong's Court of Appeal upheld on Tuesday (June 22) a court decision to deny a trial by jury to the first person charged under a new national security law, a landmark decision that marks a departure from the global financial hub's common law tradition. Last month, the Court of First Instance in the High Court ruled that Tong Ying-kit would face a trial without jury, citing "a perceived risk of the personal safety of jurors and their family members". His lawyer appealed. "Although jury trial is the conventional mode of trial in the Court of First Instance, it should not be assumed to be the only means of achieving fairness in the criminal process," according to a summary of the decision by judges Jeremy Poon, Wally Yeung and Johnson Lam. "When personal safety of jurors and their family members is under threat and due administration of justice might be impaired, there is a real risk that the goal of a fair trial by jury will be put in peril." Police say ... » Learn More about HK court upholds decision for no jury at first national security trial