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British tycoon Jimmy Lai’s The conviction in Hong Kong drew international condemnation on Monday as it was criticized as an “outrageous act of oppression”.
78 year old founder now defunct apple dailyThe paper was found guilty of treason on Monday marathontests It was seen abroad as a test of wider political changes in the former British colony.
The UK government described the decision as “politically motivated” and said it would continue to demand Mr Lai’s release. He is due to be sentenced early next week, while Sir Keir Starmer is expected to travel to Beijing just weeks later.
Mr Lai was found guilty of two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” under the city’s tough new national security laws, as well as one count of “treason” based on statutes dating back to colonial times. It concludes a five-year trial process that was monitored by foreign powers and rights groups alike.
hong kong Chief Executive John Lee welcomed Mr Lai’s sentence, saying his actions had “harmed the interests of the country and the welfare of Hong Kongers”. Beijing said it should send a “clear message” to the world, and in its response warned foreign powers against “discrediting” Hong Kong’s justice system.
But that didn’t stop angry reactions to the decision. In Britain, the country where Mr Lai has held citizenship since 1996 and where his son Sebastian Lai lives while campaigning for his father’s freedom, the government called for his immediate release.
“The UK condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai which resulted in today’s conviction,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “Jimmy Lai has been targeted by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. We continue to demand the immediate release of Mr. Lai.”
The Taiwanese government accused China of “exploiting the harsh national security law to hamper freedom of expression”.
“This decision serves as a declaration to the world that Hong Kong’s freedoms, democracy and judicial independence have been systematically destroyed,” it said.
It said the British tycoon’s sentencing had “deeply distressed and disappointed both Taiwan and the international community”.
New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry called for the protection of human rights and media freedom in Hong Kong. “Security laws should not be used to suppress independent journalism and the guilty verdict of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong is a worrying development,” it said. “New Zealand calls for the protection of fundamental human rights, including freedom of the media and freedom of speech.”
Ronson Chan, a former employee of apple daily And the president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association warned that “there will be no second Jimmy Lai”.
“I hope the country will understand that this happened in the past, that there will never be another Jimmy Lai. For the last 30 years in Hong Kong, we were able to occupy a very special place,” he said. free hong kong press“We were able to take a more critical view of the country and seek democracy more openly in China, proudly engaging in journalism, but I don’t think these things will come up again,”
Another former employee, Tammy Cheung, said she was relieved that at least Mr. Lai’s months-long trial process was over.
“I feel relieved because this case is coming to an end,” he said in Cantonese. “After the boss, other colleagues can also see the end of their trials.”
Before the verdict, some activists, including Tsang Kin-shing and Louis Yuk-lin, appeared outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Court building with an apple, citing their tacit support for the newspaper.
Advocacy and rights groups abroad may be more vocal in their condemnation.
Human Rights Watch said Mr. Lai’s sentence of five years in solitary confinement was “cruel and a travesty of justice.”
It said, “The Chinese government’s mistreatment of Jimmy Lai is aimed at silencing anyone who dares to criticize the Communist Party.” “In the face of the travesty of Jimmy Lai’s case, governments should pressure the authorities to drop the case and release him immediately. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments should pay the price for the deliberate measures taken to suppress the Hong Kong press.”
“The judges were presenting a play, but we had already read the script,” said Samuel Bickett, former director of the Democracy Council, a Washington-based advocacy group.
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China director, said the verdict showed how national security laws were designed to “silence” the people of Hong Kong.
“This decision shows that Hong Kong’s so-called ‘national security’ laws are not meant to protect people, but to silence them,” he said. “It should also serve as a warning to everyone doing business in Hong Kong: that pursuing opportunities in the city comes with serious legal risks.
“This decision is not just about one man: it is the latest step in a systematic crackdown on freedom of expression in Hong Kong: targeting not only protests and political parties, but also the idea that people should actually hold those in power to account.”
Samuel Chu, an exiled Hong Kong activist, said he personally knew Mr Lai as a “person, an editor, a believer, and someone who refused to accept the power that he has to decide what can be said, printed or believed”.
He called the decision “devastating” but not surprising.
Chief Superintendent Steve Lee of the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police welcomed the guilty verdict at a press conference on Monday.
He denied the claims of Mr. Lai’s health deteriorated in jail. “Lai’s sentencing is the fulfillment of justice,” he told reporters. He said Mr Lai was “fabricating news” to achieve “certain political goals”.
China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office expressed support for the decision, and called Mr. Lai a “running dog” and a “potato” for foreign powers.
“For a long time, Lai opposed China at every turn, colluded with foreign and external forces, and committed all kinds of wrongs against Hong Kong and the country,” the office said.