Criticism of Chinese leaders
Western countries and human rights organizations insist on the release of the newspaper’s founder Apple Dailyprosecuted for articles that supported the massive, sometimes violent, pro-democracy protests of 2019, and for criticizing Chinese leaders.
The media embodied the “fundamental values of the Hong Kong people (…), the rule of law, freedom, the defense of democracy,” Jimmy Lai testified on Wednesday, speaking for the first time since his arrest in 2020.
“The more we know, the freer we are,” added the businessman, who has invested in the world of media to, he maintained, “contribute to the defense of freedom.” He said he opposed violence and was against Hong Kong’s independence, something “too crazy to think about.” Jimmy Lai greeted the audience and testified standing, flanked by four police officers.
Jimmy Lai’s testimony comes the day after the conviction for “subversion” of 45 pro-democracy activists with sentences of up to ten years in prison, at the end of the most massive trial of opponents organized in the metropolis handed over to the China by the United Kingdom in 1997.
Incarcerated since 2020
Jimmy Lai has been detained since December 2020, raising concerns about his health. His preventive incarceration, “simply because his newspaper dared to criticize the government (…), reflects the disintegration of respect for human rights in Hong Kong,” denounced Sarah Brooks, director of Amnesty International’s China program on Monday.
Hong Kong and Beijing have refuted any criticism of the affair and Chinese diplomacy said on Wednesday that it considered the media mogul as “an agent and lackey for forces opposed to China”. The Hong Konger faces one count of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” and two others for conspiracy to “collusion with foreign forces”.
Accusation of collusion with foreign countries
Apple Daily closed in 2021. The prosecution accuses Jimmy Lai and six executives of the newspaper of having used it to “encourage opposition to the government” and “exhibit collusion with foreign countries”.
The prosecution alleges that Jimmy Lai repeatedly called on the United States and other countries to impose sanctions or engage in “other hostile activities” against China and Hong Kong. The tycoon, however, affirmed on Wednesday that he had “never” asked international contacts to take measures or influence foreign policies. He acknowledged having called on US Vice President Mike Pence in 2019 to “speak out in favor of Hong Kong”, but said he did not call for action, stressing that this was “out of (s) reach” .
He is also accused of helping two young activists lobby for sanctions against Beijing through the activist group “Stand With Hong Kong”. The six executives of the newspaper and the two activists pleaded guilty. Five of them testified against Jimmy Lai.
Jimmy Lai “deserves our admiration,” an 80-year-old retiree told AFP on Wednesday in the pouring rain outside the court. “He has a lot of money, he could have left at any time, but he didn’t.”
A “priority” for London
Last month, British Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Jimmy Lai, who has British nationality, was “a priority” for his government. A son of the businessman has called for “much stronger” support from London, fearing his father’s health could “get worse”. Robertsons, a law firm representing Jimmy Lai at trial, claimed he “received appropriate medical care” and had “access to daylight through the windows” outside his cell.
A group of lawyers filed several complaints with the United Nations concerning the arbitrary detention and prolonged isolation of the accused. On Sunday, the Hong Kong government condemned the group for “spreading misinformation,” saying Jimmy Lai himself had asked to be separated from other detainees.
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