On Monday, the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delivered a verdict in the case of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, convicting him of conspiracy to collude with external forces to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious publications.
Lai has long been the mastermind and primary bankroller of a series of anti-China campaigns seeking to destabilize Hong Kong. Hell-bent on acting as a pawn for external forces in their strategy of using Hong Kong to undermine the Chinese mainland, he is a traitor of his own home country in every sense, having inflicted great harm on his home city through his numerous nefarious and criminal endeavors.
Lai has finally received the convictions he deserves. Monday’s guilty verdict in his national security case sounded the death knell for anti-China disruptors in Hong Kong. It also sent a clear message to external forces hostile to China: Any attempt to threaten China’s national security or undermine its national interest is bound to fail and will face the full wrath of the law.
The verdict provides a detailed explanation of the legal principles applied, an analysis of the evidence, and the reasoning behind the convictions. As indicated in the judgment, the prosecution witnesses’ testimonies were honest and reliable, supported by a huge volume of communication records and other evidence. In contrast, Lai’s own testimony was riddled with contradictions and deemed unreliable, leading to rejection by the court.
Facts revealed during the trial proved that prior to the implementation of the Hong Kong SAR National Security Law (NSL), Lai blatantly engaged in anti-China activities and openly declared: “We in Hong Kong are fighting for the shared values of the US against China. We are fighting their war in the enemy camp.” The implementation of the NSL had not kept him at bay, albeit he conducted his anti-China endeavors in a more covert manner.
The open hearing of Lai’s case lasted 156 days, examining as many as 2,200 exhibits and over 80,000 pages of documents. The court heard testimonies from 14 prosecution witnesses, and Lai himself testified for 52 days. Additionally, several accomplice witnesses testified in court. This fully demonstrates that the trial was open, fair, and just, and that the verdict was impartial, objective, and unbiased.
External forces hostile to China have kept hyping up the notion that Lai was tried for his political views or beliefs, which is sheer nonsense. Throughout the trial process, the court adjudicated strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference and devoid of any political considerations. The proceedings were conducted with absolute clarity and fairness, fully demonstrating judicial justice.
Lai has finally received the convictions he deserves. Monday’s guilty verdict in his national security case sounded the death knell for anti-China disruptors in Hong Kong. It also sent a clear message to external forces hostile to China: Any attempt to threaten China’s national security or undermine its national interest is bound to fail and will face the full wrath of the law
The court judgment clarified the boundary between illegal acts and press freedom, dispelling the misconception held by some that press freedom entails a privilege to override the law. According to Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and principles established in the relevant case law, media outlets and journalists must observe and fulfill special responsibilities and obligations when publishing information, including the protection of national security or public order. Journalists must act in good faith in accordance with the principles of responsible journalism, based on accurate facts, and provide reliable information to be entitled to the protection of freedom of speech and the press. In other words, journalists, like everyone else, have an obligation to comply with all laws.
Evidence showed that Lai personally managed and strictly controlled the editorial direction of Apple Daily. He communicated his political views to the senior management of the newspaper, who were compelled to follow Lai’s stance in their work. Editorial writers had to obtain Lai’s permission before being hired. Lai frequently emphasized “I am the boss,” demanding that news events be reported and interpreted based on his intention.
The prosecution pointed out that Apple Daily published 161 seditious articles, with content aimed at influencing public sentiment, inciting crowds to take to the streets, and advocating violent demonstrations. Among them, 85 were published after the NSL came into effect, and 31 involved begging for foreign sanctions. It’s evident that what Lai did had absolutely nothing to do with press freedom; he merely used news reporting as a pretext for years to carry out acts that harmed China and its HKSAR.
Contrary to Western narratives over Lai’s case, press and speech freedoms are guaranteed by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance. Both the NSL and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance explicitly stipulate that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security. The presence and operations of almost all major Western mainstream media outlets in Hong Kong attest to its ample press freedom.
Throughout Lai’s trial, external forces and Western media outlets hostile to China have ruthlessly and desperately denigrated Hong Kong’s NSL, law enforcement actions and judicial procedures, employing a variety of tactics.
First, they kept spreading rumors, for example, claiming that Lai was “imprisoned before trial”, which departs from fact. Lai had previously been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for commercial frauds. His subsequent detention over national security and sedition offenses occurred while he was serving that sentence. Lai’s daughter claimed to foreign media that her father received no medical care in custody, that his “eyesight and hearing were deteriorating” and he “could barely walk”. The truth is, Lai was seen to be in good physical condition when he showed up on Monday.
Second, Western politicians have repeatedly tried to intimidate Hong Kong judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and officials by threatening to impose sanctions, in a blatant attempt to derail lawful adjudication and obstruct the administration of justice.
Third, Western politicians and media have packaged Lai as an “upright media man”, a “devout Christian”, and a “fighter for freedom, democracy, and human rights”. But Hong Kong residents know that Apple Daily, founded by Lai, built its fortune on peddling sensationalism, sex, and violence, and was notorious for fabricating fake news. Over the years, the newspaper and other publications run by Lai have been penalized more than 100 times by the Obscene Articles Tribunal in accordance with the law.
It’s unsurprising that Western politicians and media are scrambling to toss self-righteous rhetoric against Lai’s convictions. But they do not have a market in the international community; they can earn a few brownie points domestically at most.
The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
