Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – Media mogul Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong's foremost critics of China, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, ending a landmark trial, and not just symbolically, brought under the national security law Beijing imposed on the former British colony.
While local authorities hailed the verdict against the Catholic activist, who is also a British citizen, NGOs, human rights groups, and Western governments (including the UK) have harshly criticised it.
Lai was convicted on two counts, colluding with foreign forces and publication of seditious material, a decision praised by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee, who said that Jimmy Lai “committed numerous heinous crimes, and his evil deeds were beyond measure”, while the “severe” sentence "brings great relief to all”.
The 20-year sentence falls within the harshest tier of “grave” offences, the three judges said.
In addition to Lai, six senior former Apple Daily staffers, an activist, and a paralegal were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to ten years.
For Lai's son, Sebastien, the sentence "is devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father" and marked the "total destruction" of the Hong Kong legal system.
Dozens of Lai's supporters lined up for several days to secure a seat in the courtroom, with dozens of police officers, drug-sniffing dogs, and police vehicles, including an armoured vehicle and a bomb disposal van, deployed in the area.
As he entered the courtroom for the verdict, he smiled and greeted his wife Teresa and, next to her, Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, one of the strongest voices against the violation of human rights and religious freedom in China.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Father Franco Mella, a PIME missionary and well-known human rights defender who a few days ago renewed his focus on the issue of political prisoners with a sit-in, stressed that the sentence affects not only Jimmy Lai but also a significant number of people associated with the Apple Daily. In total, nine people who worked for the newspaper are jailed.
In Hong Kong, people are dejected, he said, but have not failed to provide "moral support" for Lai and the other defendants. During the trial, many lined up to attend and "provide him visible support," even “staying outside the courthouse for two or three days and nights to get in.”
The verdict, the missionary noted, is not going to be the end of the story. “We have a duty to continue speaking out and bearing witness,” especially as more trials are set to start amid the culpable silence of some institutions.
Indeed, for Father Mella, this issue concerns Hong Kong Christians as well. “There have been no expressions of support for Jimmy Lai, and this leaves us perplexed, but that doesn't mean we should stop. On the contrary, as a grassroots organisation, we must continue to insist. I, for example, have often spoken about this situation in Mass in recent weeks.”
The China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group also reacted to the verdict, calling for the release of the 78-year-old Catholic leader and editor of Apple Daily, imprisoned under Hong Kong’s infamous national security legislation.
“Given his age and the length of the sentence, Lai is at heightened risk of dying in prison,” reads a report by the group. “Jimmy Lai has committed no crime and should be released immediately,” said Angeli Datt, CHRD’s research and advocacy coordinator.
The Catholic entrepreneur, who turned 78 last 8 December, and has been in prison since 18 December 2020, and his newspaper, Apple Daily, have become a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong.
He was first arrested in February 2020, then released on bail, which was revoked in December of the same year when he was charged with national security and other offences.
In April and December 2021, he was convicted of human rights violations related to his participation in peaceful anti-government protests, and sentenced to 17 months in prison, followed in December 2022 by another 69 months on trumped-up fraud charges.
Lai's already poor health, the CHRD notes, has been compounded by prolonged solitary confinement. He suffers from diabetes, hypertension, cataracts, and heart problems and has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement.
According to his daughter, his health worsened during his years in prison, and the family has never been informed of the medical care he received.
The CHRD notes that several human rights defenders have died in custody in China, denied proper care, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, the revered Tibetan monk Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and Cao Shunli. So far no Chinese leader or official has been held accountable for these deaths.
The eight defendants who were convicted along with Lai include publisher Cheung Kim-hung (six years and nine months), associate publisher Chan Pui-man (seven years), and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee (seven years and three months). Editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, and editorial writer Fung Wai-kong all received 10-year jail terms.
Two activists linked to the international lobby group Stand with Hong Kong, who also testified against Lai, possibly under torture, were given custodial sentences. Wayland Chan got six years and three months, while Andy Li received seven years and three months. Lai and the other co-defendants appeared impassive as judges read out their sentences.
In the coming weeks, three other activists are expected to be convicted: Chow Hang-tung (40), Lee Cheuk-yan (68), and Albert Ho (74) faced charges of “conspiracy” to "subvert state power" under the national security law.
During the trial, Ho pleaded guilty, while the other two pleaded not guilty. All three were members of the now-dissolved pro-democracy Hong Kong Alliance, which ceased its activities in 2021. The group organised the annual vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. Jailed in 2021, all three face up to 10 years in prison.
"The important thing," Father Mella continues, "is not to allow silence to fall on these events, on the trials," even though there is little optimism about the verdict and a conviction is highly likely.
By applying constant pressure and insisting on talking about the case, an amnesty or release for good behaviour could be achieved, the clergyman believes.
For leaders in Hong Kong (and Beijing), it would be acceptable to uphold the conviction and the national security law, while simultaneously granting freedom to the prisoners.
“We shall insist on this,” he said. “In my opinion, the Church should also make its voice heard. The more people talk about it, the greater the hope.”
