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The Hong Kong Court of First Instance jailed media tycoon and Apple Daily newspaper founder Jimmy Lai for 20 years on Monday following his national security conviction in December. This marks the latest development in a years-long legal battle and the heaviest sentence since the promulgation of the 2020 National Security Law.
Lai was one of the most high-profile government critics over the decades, and was outspoken about the deterioration of freedoms in Hong Kong, including to US officials. Apple Daily, which ceased operations and had its assets frozen after the imposition of the 2020 law, was a fiercly pro-democracy newspaper in the region.
The court held that Lai committed the offenses “of a grave nature.” Coming to this conclusion, the court considered that the defendants had premeditatedly persuaded, through online platforms, foreign governments to impose sanctions and blockades against Chinese and Hong Kong officials. The court also considered that the advocacy campaign had been persistent, and the foreign sanctions have been ongoing to date.
For Lai, the court further held that he was the “mastermind” of the advocacy campaign, which was an aggravating factor. Having considered that Lai is 78 years old and his medical conditions, the court imposed a 20-year imprisonment on Lai.
The court imposed on six other co-defendants an imprisonment of 81 to 120 months, varied by their timeliness in plea and the extent of assistance to the prosecution. The court also fined each of the three Apple Daily-related companies for HK$3 million.
The sentence attracted widespread criticism from international civil rights groups and foreign governments. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong all denounced that the sentence violated the freedom of the press and speech.
Conversely, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said the sentence reflected the serious nature of the offense. He also rejected the allegations from international politicians and organizations that the sentence was a violation of press freedom, claiming the open trial has proved that Lai had incited hatred against the government through misinformation. The Chief Executive, John Lee, called Lai’s crimes “heinous” and “evil deeds”, describing the sentences as upholding the rule of law.
Other foreign actors voiced concerns over Lai’s conditions, calling on the Hong Kong government to release Lai on humanitarian grounds. These include the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand.
In response to the sentence, the UK government expanded its humanitarian immigration pathway to British National (Overseas) status holders under 18 at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover.
One day after the sentencing, China’s State Council released a white paper. The publication reviewed the effectiveness of the 2020 National Security Law in restoring the stability of Hong Kong. The publication also outlined how the Chinese and Hong Kong governments will work together to implement “One Country, Two Systems” and safeguard national security.
The post Hong Kong court jails media tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years upon national security convictions appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Lai was one of the most high-profile government critics over the decades, and was outspoken about the deterioration of freedoms in Hong Kong, including to US officials. Apple Daily, which ceased operations and had its assets frozen after the imposition of the 2020 law, was a fiercly pro-democracy newspaper in the region.
The court held that Lai committed the offenses “of a grave nature.” Coming to this conclusion, the court considered that the defendants had premeditatedly persuaded, through online platforms, foreign governments to impose sanctions and blockades against Chinese and Hong Kong officials. The court also considered that the advocacy campaign had been persistent, and the foreign sanctions have been ongoing to date.
For Lai, the court further held that he was the “mastermind” of the advocacy campaign, which was an aggravating factor. Having considered that Lai is 78 years old and his medical conditions, the court imposed a 20-year imprisonment on Lai.
The court imposed on six other co-defendants an imprisonment of 81 to 120 months, varied by their timeliness in plea and the extent of assistance to the prosecution. The court also fined each of the three Apple Daily-related companies for HK$3 million.
The sentence attracted widespread criticism from international civil rights groups and foreign governments. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong all denounced that the sentence violated the freedom of the press and speech.
Conversely, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said the sentence reflected the serious nature of the offense. He also rejected the allegations from international politicians and organizations that the sentence was a violation of press freedom, claiming the open trial has proved that Lai had incited hatred against the government through misinformation. The Chief Executive, John Lee, called Lai’s crimes “heinous” and “evil deeds”, describing the sentences as upholding the rule of law.
Other foreign actors voiced concerns over Lai’s conditions, calling on the Hong Kong government to release Lai on humanitarian grounds. These include the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand.
In response to the sentence, the UK government expanded its humanitarian immigration pathway to British National (Overseas) status holders under 18 at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover.
One day after the sentencing, China’s State Council released a white paper. The publication reviewed the effectiveness of the 2020 National Security Law in restoring the stability of Hong Kong. The publication also outlined how the Chinese and Hong Kong governments will work together to implement “One Country, Two Systems” and safeguard national security.
The post Hong Kong court jails media tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years upon national security convictions appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.