Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying faced a kangaroo court appointed by the Communist Party-controlled puppet government to prosecute him under a fascist “national security law” imposed by the Chinese government at a trial in Hong Kong on Wednesday. He took on a cheerful and rebellious attitude.
Lai, 77, has already been imprisoned for about four years, spending much of that time in solitary confinement. His defense team claims he has been denied treatment for diabetes. Still, he stood tall in a Hong Kong courtroom, smiling and waving to supporters and displaying a sharp wit on the courtroom floor.
Rai is targeted He was accused by China's Communist Party-controlled government of being the “ringleader” of the 2019 protests. He was imprisoned in a maximum-security prison in 2020 for pro-democracy reporting in his tabloid newspaper. apple daily, The government shut down in 2021.
A devout Catholic, Lai refused to flee, even though his wealth made it possible.
“If I leave, I'm not only giving up my destiny, I'm giving up God, I'm giving up my religion, I'm giving up what I believe in,” he said. . said when he was arrested.
The Chinese government suppressed protests in 2020 in the following ways: dignified Authoritarian “national security laws” that criminalize almost all criticism of the government and opposition to communist ideology. Free nations and human rights groups around the world condemned the law and called for its repeal, and the Chinese Communist Party enacted the law in response. even worse In March 2024.
Jimmy Lai had already been in prison for two years when the government attempted to formally persecute him under the National Security Law on charges of “collusion with foreign forces” and “sedition.” If convicted, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
In court on Wednesday, Lai defiantly said: said core values of apple daily news These were “actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong” including “the rule of law, freedom, the pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly.”
Rai said he became a media mogul “to participate in the communication that brings freedom.”
“The more information you have, the more knowledge you have and the more freedom you have,” he said.
Mr Lai has denied some of the charges against him, insisting he has never advocated or “condoned” violence. apple daily news He has never agitated for Hong Kong's independence from China or tried to use his overseas connections to influence the Hong Kong government.
Especially the light rejected He called on former US Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to put pressure on Hong Kong. He said he asked Pompeo “not to do something, but to say something – to show support for Hong Kong.”
Lai dismissed other conversations with U.S. officials as mere “chat” and said he did not listen “very intently” during a meeting with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). He admitted to making “small” donations to several think tanks, religious groups and pro-democracy groups.
Rai said He supported Tsai on the grounds that “Taiwan is the only democratic country of the Chinese people.” He also described himself as a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, but said he never met or spoke directly with Trump during his first presidency. He told the court he was hopeful that President Trump might be able to persuade Beijing not to invoke the national security law. apple daily news Then it would be “done”.
“Maybe all we have to do is ask China not to do that. A call to China, a call to Xi Jinping, whatever,” one of the judges said when asked what he expected from Trump. Mr. Rai replied:
left wing new york times (New York Times) thought Lai, a little less temperamental than before, went out of his way to dismiss Hong Kong independence as a “crazy” idea and claimed that he did not have full editorial control. Apple Daily.
Eric Lai, a Hong Kong legal expert at the Georgetown Asian Law Center, said Lai's legal team had done a good job of exaggerating the charges against him and making them appear absurd.
“Jimmy Lai's testimony shows that the crime of collusion with foreign forces under the National Security Law is so broad and unreasonable that it criminalizes normal interactions and communications with people overseas. '' he said. New York Times.
“Jimmy Lai is on trial in Hong Kong, but journalism is on trial in Hong Kong,” said Caoilfionn Gallagher, lead lawyer for Mr Lai.
“His lawsuit is designed to send a chill down the spine of anyone who wears a T-shirt, sings a song, posts a tweet, or tries to say anything against Hong Kong or China's leaders. That's what I did,” Gallagher said.
Jimmy Lai's son Sebastian said he was worried about his father's health, but was impressed by his strength and dignity.
“I'm very proud of what he's doing and I think he knows he's doing the right thing,” said Sebastian Rai.
“My father is a very strong person mentally and spiritually. But he has been living there for almost four years. It is completely inhumane,” he added.
Jimmy Lee appeared in court for the first time the day after 45 democracy activists were assaulted. given The stiff prison sentences for “sedition” bode badly for someone the Chinese government considers a bigger threat than many of these defendants.
Mr Gallagher cited the example of American journalists Ars Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, who believed that global diplomatic pressure was Mr Lai's best hope for being released from prison. said. released In last year's prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States.
“With creativity and political will, the seemingly impossible can be achieved,” she said.
president-elect trump said In an interview in late October, he said he planned to meet with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and appeal for Lai's freedom.
“100 percent, yes, we'll get him out. He could easily get out. But we don't even have anyone to talk about it,” Trump told conservative host Hugh Hewitt.
