Davis Polk Talks Out of Both Sides of Its Mouth on Human Rights

This must have been awkward for Davis Polk & Wardwell. Last week, Martin Rogers, head of the firm’s Asia practice, proudly announced that he’d be speaking at the “National Security Law Legal Forum—Thrive with Security” event sponsored by Hong Kong’s justice department and the Asian Academy of International Law.

Nothing unusual about a leading legal practitioner delivering a wonky talk at a gathering of government officials and academics. Except for this inconvenient fact: The event celebrates the two-year anniversary of a law designed to obliterate Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement—which it has achieved spectacularly. Since its enactment by China in 2020, ...