Hong Kong court finds pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign forces
Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital Ltd., gets out of his Department of Corrections vehicle as he arrives at the Court of Final Appeal for the decision of his bail hearing in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Prosecutors in Hong Kong have charged Lai, a leading critic of Beijing and local authorities, saying he colluded with foreigners in calling for sanctions against China under a national security law imposed by Beijing last year. Photographer: Chan Long Hei/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media baron Jimmy Lai was found guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign countries by a Hong Kong court on Monday.
The 78-year-old man was charged under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law. Implemented by Beijing in 2020 After pro-democracy protests swept the region in 2019.
Lai, one of the most vocal critics of the Chinese Communist Party, has pleaded not guilty to charges under the national security law of colluding with foreign powers and conspiring to publish seditious materials.
He has been detained since 2020 and his trial will begin in December 2023.
The businessman, who founded the Asian clothing brand Giordano, the Apple Daily newspaper and the digital media company Next Digital, was brought up by US President Donald Trump during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea in October.
Trump puts pressure on Xi Release Lai during the meeting, according to Reuters.
The decision to hold the hearing is the latest development in Hong Kong’s political scene, where democratic opposition has eroded in one of Asia’s financial hubs since the national security law came into effect.
Under changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system in 2021, the number of directly elected members in the city’s legislative assembly has been greatly reduced, featuring only “patriots”. reviewed by the selection committee to be participate in elections.
The decision came immediately after the hearing. Dissolution of Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy party Sunday’s ‘patriotic-only’ legislative election, 31 years later second lowest attendance in the history of the region.
“If I were running Hong Kong, I know I would have to convict this guy and then send him home, because then you would, in a sense, put an end to the political change in Hong Kong, but you wouldn’t create any more martyrs,” veteran investor David Roche told CNBC before the verdict.
Lai acquired British citizenship before Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.
Roche added: “I think this will help give people in the money business a significant impression and therefore belief that Hong Kong is returning to its normal, business-oriented, dynamic self.”
