The activist is currently held at a detention centre over her visa. The UNHCR office in the Thai capital had granted her protection status. Hong Kong authorities accuse her of "subversion" under the territory’s national security law. Her "crime" is membership in the Hong Kong Parliament group of exiles.
In all the reports from Beijing's official media on the 20-year prison sentence handed down on 9 February to the Hong Kong entrepreneur, a public interview from 2019 is deliberately misrepresented. To justify the harsh sentence with words that the founder of Apple Daily never said. Instead, they are silent about what he said that day about the link between his Christian faith and the struggle for freedom and justice.
After five years, the landmark trial under the national security law ended. The founder of Apple Daily was charged with conspiracy and sedition. Chief Executive Lee praised the “severe” sentence that brings “relief to all”. Cardinal Zen was in the courtroom with Lay’s wife. Eight other defendants were also sentenced. Attention now turns to the trials of Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho.
After five years in prison and a one-sided trial lasting 156 hearings, the “exemplary” sentence was handed down today to the Catholic entrepreneur, publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The sentence has yet to be determined, but the two offences carry a life sentence. At 78, he will spend his fifth consecutive Christmas in prison. Chief Executive John Lee rejoices. The International Press Association: “Independent information repressed”.
Sebastien Lai spoke to AsiaNews about his father’s ordeal. The 78-year-old Catholic businessman, who fought for democracy in Hong Kong, has been in prison since 2020. Given his poor health as a diabetic, “the fear for his life is very real.” Too many diabetics “have died in that situation in Hong Kong prisons.” The former media owner “is in solitary confinement,” denied the right to attend Mass. US President Donald Trump said that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about his case and get him released. His mother’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV gave her strength.
Concern is growing around the world about the health of the 77-year-old businessman, a symbol of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, who has been imprisoned for nearly 1,700 days under China’s national security law. The prosecution began its closing arguments in a trial that has dragged on since December 2023 and could end with a life sentence. The verdict, handed down by three judges specifically selected by the pro-Beijing camp, is expected in October.
Under the pretext of security, the Hong Kong government presented lawmakers with a bill aimed at tightening the rules for meetings with doctors, lawyers, and religious leaders. According to its backers, violations and abuses have characterised prison visits in the past. According to the authorities, human and civil rights, including those of prisoners, should be “limited by the need to maintain national security, discipline and order.”
In the anniversary of the former British colony's transition to the People's Republic, the Hong Kong Democracy Council takes stock of the repression. Of the 161 convicted, 102 are still serving prison sentences. On 14 August, Jimmy Lai's trial is expected to enter its final phase. Meanwhile, thanks to cuts by the Trump administration, Radio Free Asia's Cantonese channel is also closing, further reducing the space for free information on Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, the NGO that reported on spontaneous worker protests and workplace accidents in mainland China has been forced to cease operations. It was founded in 1994 by activist Han Dongfang, who tried to set up an independent trade union in Tiananmen Square in 1989. A few hours after the announcement, the website was already down. Sixty civil society groups have now been dissolved since 2020.
About 30 countries have signed the convention establishing the IOMed, a new international organisation promoted by China for conflict mediation in a city on its way to be “normalised”. The new body reflects a version of multilateralism that is tailored-made for Beijing, which has ignored rulings by UN tribunals. This brings to mind the words of Chow Hang-tung, a lawyer jailed for her pro-democracy beliefs, on the effect of the emptying words like rights, democracy and peace of their meaning, in Hong Kong and beyond.
The local government is asking the Legislative Council (which it controls) to approve a new regulation that would hand over jurisdiction to mainland China in "complex cases" involving foreign countries. The measure appears tailored to the case of Jimmy Lai. The "geopolitical situation" is cited as justification. It was opposition to extradition that sparked the pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Police search the premises of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute after bringing its president, Robert Chung, from his home. The latter is under investigation for providing assistance to his former deputy, Chung Kim-wah, one of six pro-democracy activists in exile against whom an arrest warrant has been issued. The authorities say they do not want to affect the institute's activities, but they took away servers and loads of documents.
Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing administration wants to introduce “smart ballot boxes” for next year’s legislative election, already restricted to “patriotic" candidates. Scanners would warn voters of any “error” in their ballot. The proposal was withdrawn after a few hours due to obvious objections to secrecy of the vote.
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