Hong Kong Top Court's Big Move On Recognising Overseas Same-Sex Marriages
NDTV
Lawyers and activists say the ruling could potentially force changes by the city's government and institutions.
Hong Kong's top court partially approved on Tuesday a landmark appeal by an LGBTQ activist for recognition of overseas same-sex marriages, and called for an alternative legal framework for such couples to legitimise their basic social needs.
The ruling ended a five-year legal battle fought by jailed democracy and LGBTQ rights activist Jimmy Sham, marking the first time Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal directly addressed the issue of same-sex marriage in the Asian financial hub.
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Permanent Judges Roberto Ribeiro, Joseph Fok, Johnson Lam, and Non-Permanent Judge Patrick Keane ruled that marriage freedoms outlined in Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, were confined to opposite-sex marriage.
