Jimmy Lai convicted of 'collusion with foreign forces' and 'sedition'

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”.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - It had to come at the “right moment”, they said, and in the end it came at the end of five uninterrupted years of imprisonment. With a verdict that was clear from the outset: the panel of three judges specially selected by the Hong Kong executive to try Jimmy Lai convicted him of the crimes of ‘collusion with foreign forces’ and ‘sedition’, the most serious offences under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 to stop pro-democracy protests.

The reasons are set out in 855 pages of the verdict, which draw conclusions from 156 hearings that lasted until the final closing arguments last August. Two years of trial in which all formal technicalities were respected. And even now, the sentence has not yet been handed down: first there will be a new phase, the hearings in which, according to local criminal procedure, the defence will have the opportunity to request ‘mitigation’, already set for four days starting on 12 January. But everything suggests that it is only a matter of time: at the “appropriate moment”, in this avowedly “exemplary” trial, Jimmy Lai's sentence will be the maximum provided for by the National Security Law: life imprisonment.

At 78 years of age, he has just celebrated his birthday in prison, where he has been held continuously since 18 December 2020 (in the photo above: the only leaked image of his detention editor's note) - the Catholic entrepreneur who, with his newspaper Apple Daily, has become the symbol of the battle for democracy in Hong Kong, appeared today in the West Kowloon courtroom escorted by seven officers. He appeared thin but in good spirits: he smiled and greeted his family in the audience, along with journalists, representatives of the diplomatic corps and some of Jimmy Lai's friends, including Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, who arrived early in the morning walking with his cane. There were also those who, in order to show their presence despite the gag imposed on all forms of protest in Hong Kong, sent the judges a basket of apples, in memory of the logo of Apple Daily, the newspaper forced to close by the authorities in June 2021 and whose activities were at the heart of the trial.

The reading of the sentence was expected at 10 a.m.: the judges specified that they would read only the last six pages of the enormous document. They argued that Lai's defence was “inconsistent” and that, on the contrary, the entire trial had shown that his aim - before and after the approval of the National Security Law - was to bring down the Chinese Communist Party government. This is an unacceptable goal in Hong Kong today. Hence the conviction for crimes considered very serious. After just over an hour, it was all over: Jimmy Lai was taken back to Stanley Prison, where in a few days he will spend his fifth Christmas in a cell awaiting new hearings in January.

Meanwhile, the chorus of statements from Hong Kong's political establishment celebrating the verdict had already begun. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, from the airport where he was departing for Beijing, took the opportunity to accuse Jimmy Lai of having “long used Apple Daily to recklessly create social conflicts, sow division in society, incite hatred and glorify violence”, as well as “calling on foreign countries to impose sanctions against China and Hong Kong”. Lee also reiterated that protecting national security is a “natural responsibility” and that “the judiciary acts legitimately and does not fear any threats”. The reaction of the Fire Services Department was surreal. In a city still reeling from the tragedy in Tai Po, where 160 people died in a high-rise fire, it published a post on Facebook to ‘express respect and support for the sentence handed down in accordance with the law’ against Jimmy Lai, because “in 2019, demonstrators blocked roads, set fires and threw Molotov cocktails”.

Outside Hong Kong, however, there were, of course, many voices that were able to freely express their outrage at this further confirmation of the closure of freedom of information and critical thinking in the former British colony, which in 1997 had returned to the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China under the promise of “one country, two systems”. The International Press Association, which in October awarded Jimmy Lai the “World Press Freedom Hero Award”, issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” today's ruling, which shows that “Hong Kong's courts have been used to suppress independent information and dissenting voices”.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association also issued a statement on Monday expressing deep regret at the ruling, noting that Apple Daily has been suspended for almost five years and that the newspaper's management and editorial staff, including Jimmy Lai, have remained in custody until today. The association therefore calls on the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to honour its commitment to protecting press freedom so that media professionals can continue to do their work without fear.

The official statement issued by Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, the country of which Jimmy Lai has dual citizenship, like many Hong Kong residents, is politically significant. “The UK condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai and the outcome of his sentencing today,” the statement reads. 'He has been targeted by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for peacefully exercising his freedom of expression.

Referring to the concerns repeatedly expressed by his family about his health in prison, the Foreign Office also reiterated its call for ‘his immediate release so that he can receive the necessary treatment and independent medical care’. This possibility seems remote at the moment: even today, the prison administration has described concerns about the health of a 78-year-old man who is being held in solitary confinement as ‘the result of false reports’.

• China
• Hong Kong
• Jimmy Lai
• freedom
• repression