Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai to be sentenced on Feb 9
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Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, faces possible life imprisonment.
PHOTO: AFP
HONG KONG – Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai will be sentenced on Feb 9, the city’s judiciary said on Feb 6, in a closely watched national security trial that has drawn international criticism, including from the US and Britain.
Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty in December of two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under a China-imposed national security law, as well as a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
The 78-year-old, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, faces possible life imprisonment.
Among the allegations, he was found guilty of using Apple Daily as a platform to conspire with six former executives and others to produce seditious publications between April 2019 and June 2021, as well as to collude with foreign forces, including the US, between July 2020 and June 2021.
He was accused of conspiring with activist Andy Li, paralegal Chan Tsz-wah and others to invite foreign countries to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile activities against Hong Kong and China.
The marathon trial began in December 2023 and ran for 156 days.
In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the Asian financial hub following mass and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Hong Kong’s top judge, has said that calls to free Lai prematurely would undermine the city’s rule of law.
“Such demands not only circumvent the legal procedures established to ensure accountability under the law, but also strike at the very heart of the rule of law itself,” he said.
Some countries, including the US and Britain, have said the trial was politically motivated and have demanded Lai’s immediate release. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say he has been given a fair trial.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had a “respectful discussion” regarding Lai with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a recent trip to Beijing, though he declined to provide details. REUTERS
