Jimmy Lai, the former pro-democracy media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was found guilty by a Hong Kong court on Monday, December 15, of one count of sedition and two counts of foreign conspiracy in his trial for endangering national security. The latter two leaders are based on the national security law imposed by Beijing after the huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.
“We have no doubts about that [M.Lai] has never wavered from its intention to destabilize the government of China [Parti communiste chinois] »declared Judge Esther Toh in this trial, criticized by several Western countries.
The founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper was arrested under the national security law in August 2020 Apple daily, faces a life sentence. He remained silent and impassive as the verdict was announced. He will later hear what his sentence is and can appeal.
A ‘parody’ of justice
During the 156-day trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring with top executives ofApple daily and others to request foreign forces to impose sanctions or blockades and engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.
“It is also clear to us that, long before the national security law was passed, the first defendant was thinking about how the United States could put pressure on the People’s Republic of China.”the judge added. The prosecutor highlighted his meetings with former US Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July 2019, at the height of the protests.
Mr Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. His defense advocated freedom of expression.
At the age of 78, he is being held in solitary confinement. “at his request” according to authorities. He appeared thinner in court than before his imprisonment and silently greeted those who came to support him with a smile and a nod.
The trial, conducted without a jury, was closely watched by the United States, Britain, the European Union and political observers as a barometer of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, which returned to China in 1997.
The verdict also puts Beijing’s diplomatic relations to the test. US President Donald Trump said he had raised the issue with China, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government had made the release of Mr Lai, a British citizen, a priority.
The verdict against Jimmy Lai is one “parody” of justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. L‘Apple daily was a vocal opposition newspaper against the Hong Kong government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. It was forced to close its doors in 2021 after a police raid on its newsroom and the arrest of its top journalists, with authorities freezing its assets.
During his five years of detention, Jimmy Lai was convicted of several crimes, such as fraud related to lease violations at the headquarters ofApple daily. He was also convicted for his role in unauthorized gatherings during the 2019 protests.
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