A Hong Kong Court has found pro-democracy media Tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty on charges of sedition and colluding with external forces under the national security law. The decision has drawn strong criticism from the press freedom groups.
Known for his unapologetic anti-China rhetoric, Jimmy was arrested in 2020 under the stringent National Security Law extended by China after the 2019 anti-government pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong. Lai, 78, may end up spending the rest of his life behind bars if he does not appeal against the sentence. Though he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Judge Esther Toh ruled that the evidence presented against Lai showed he had extended "constant invitations" to the US, in an effort to bring down the Chinese government. While announcing the verdict, Toh said, “Lai had harboured hatred against the People’s Republic of China.
Toh added, “The court was satisfied that Lai had hatched a conspiracy with others to bring down the government in the country.” Reacting sharply to the decision, the global press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), strongly criticised the verdict.
In a post on X, CPJ regional director Beh Lih Yi wrote, “Jimmy Lai’s conviction is a disgraceful act of persecution. The ruling highlights Hong Kong’s utter contempt for press freedom, which is supposed to be protected under the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law."
She said, “Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy. The risk of him dying from ill health in prison increases as each day passes — he must be reunited with his family immediately.” Lai founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper in 1995, which remained one of the most critical outlets in the country before it was taken down by the PRC.
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