Any act that endangers national security and disrupts social stability must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others, a lawmaker of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said on Saturday.
Pointing out that members of the public have expectations for the sentencing of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, ment-in-Jimmy-Lai%E2%80%99s-case-upholds-rule-of-law-2025-12-22">Priscilla Leung Mei-fun said in her social media page that she thinks tougher punishment will act as a clear and effective deterrent.
Lai, the founder of the now-defunct tabloid Apple Daily, is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. On Dec 15, the High Court found him guilty of violating the city’s National Security Law, including on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Describing Lai as “a key figure in inciting hatred and undermining social stability”, the lawmaker emphasized that the damage his actions have caused to Hong Kong has transcended the scope of ordinary speech.
“A number of ignorant young people and the general public harbor deep-seated hostility and hatred towards the nation. This ideology is not limited to individual level, but is purposefully and systematically infiltrated into Hong Kong society through his newspaper, Apple Daily,” the Legislative Council member pointed out.
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Failing to return to its role of rational oversight despite the city's return to the motherland, the media outlet even intensified its efforts to attack the HKSAR government with an extreme stance, inciting social antagonism, and spreading hostile rhetoric against the nation, she said.
Recounting her “painful lesson” on the National Day in 2019, Leung, also a law professor at the City University of Hong Kong, said her LegCo member office in Shek Kip Mei was attacked with three petrol bombs and burned to the ground by, according to CCTV footage, young perpetrators.
Citing another experience from November 2019, she said more than 80 of her students insisted on attending her class and refused to participate in a school strike. However, a group of "black-clad" people gathered outside the lecture hall, attempting to forcibly enter the classrooms and drag students away to join the strike. “This openly deprived students of their basic right to education,” she added.
Apple Daily had been indoctrinating teachers, professionals and young people in a distorted and hateful view on the country through years of manipulation, she said, reiterating that Lai’s action had left an extremely profound and negative impact on the city.
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“I firmly believe the court will be able to adjudicate the relevant cases independently and impartially in accordance with the law and free from external interference,” added Leung.
