At the age of 78, Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s Next Media, was sentenced to 20 years by the Hong Kong courts, sparking international outcry and shocking anger among Hong Kong people and pro-democracy activists in the United States. They have condemned the verdict and called on the Hong Kong government to release Jimmy Lai.
On the 9th of this month, the Hong Kong High Court charged Jimmy Lai with “conspiring with foreign forces” and “conspiring to publish seditious publications,” sentencing him to 20 years in prison; Apple Daily employees were also sentenced to varying prison terms of 10 years, 7 years, etc.
On the 14th (Saturday), under the leadership of former Hong Kong legislator Martin Lee, the Los Angeles Visual Artists Association, Hong Kong House (Los Angeles) organized a gathering of justice activists in front of the Chinese Consulate. Members from the headquarters of the Chinese Democratic Party in the US West and South, and the Friends of Hong Kong Democracy Foundation, showed their support. Dozens of people at the scene held up banners and signs, chanting slogans, protesting against the Chinese Communist Party’s pressure on the Hong Kong government and its violation of the most basic legal rules.
Former Hong Kong journalist Cheng Xiang, who participated in the gathering, believes that the heavy sentence handed to Jimmy Lai by the Chinese Communist Party stems from fear: “He has taken action and is willing to give up his wealth and freedom to seek freedom for the Chinese people. Moreover, he has been uncompromising since the Tiananmen Square incident over thirty years ago.”
Cheng recalled the last day before the closure of Apple Daily in Hong Kong when thousands of citizens voluntarily queued up at the newspaper’s printing facility to buy a copy, which they either gave to family and friends or placed in convenience stores for people to read for free.
“This is the voice of the people. It shows that he has a strong base of public support,” he said. “It is precisely because of this that the Chinese Communist Party is afraid of him and wants to sentence him to an entirely disproportionate prison term.”
Cheng Xiang stated that Jimmy Lai’s sentence exceeds the judgments the Chinese Communist Party handed down to Wei Jingsheng and others, aiming to eliminate freedom of speech for the people of Hong Kong, to ensure that Jimmy Lai does not rise again.
Martin Lee stated that Jimmy Lai is the most severely sentenced political prisoner in Hong Kong, exceeding the 15-year sentence previously given to Benny Tai. He pointed out that Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily are part of Hong Kong’s press freedom, and a heavy sentence imposed on Jimmy Lai would make international investors fearful – fearful of Hong Kong losing press freedom, as press freedom directly relates to the core pillar of Hong Kong, the survival and development of the financial industry.
“This sentencing is not only targeted at Jimmy Lai but at the entire news media,” Martin Lee said. Over the past five years, the media landscape in Hong Kong has completely changed. “Without the foundation of press freedom, Hong Kong’s financial industry cannot develop. Therefore, now people from all camps are facing (economic) pressures.”
According to Martin Lee, larger banks in Hong Kong – HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, and some investment banks – have been continuously downsizing and shrinking in recent years; property prices in Hong Kong have fallen by a third. He said that the commercial vacancy rate has soared to 20% in the past five years. “During the peak period, it was difficult to rent a store in the Hong Kong financial center. Now the rent for some buildings in Central has dropped by half.”
The chairman of the Visual Artists Association, Liu Yaya, who attended the gathering, had met with Jimmy Lai during her time in Hong Kong. She described the sentencing of Jimmy Lai as “absurd.” “He is now 78 years old and will be 98 upon release, which essentially means a life sentence.”
Liu Yaya recalled the process of the final appeal of Jimmy Lai’s case by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal: the case was originally scheduled for December 2022 but was repeatedly postponed, and the British lawyers retained by Jimmy Lai were not allowed to represent him in the case. The court replaced Hong Kong’s long-standing legal tradition with the interpretation of the Chinese Communist Party authorities, manipulating Hong Kong’s judiciary to ensure Jimmy Lai’s conviction.
Liu Yaya specifically pointed out that this trial was based on the Hong Kong National Security Law implemented in June 2020, with authorities prosecuting Jimmy Lai and others for statements made before that date, retroactively applying the National Security Law. “This is extremely unfair, the judicial process has serious flaws, and it gravely violates international law.”
The Visual Artists Association has issued a statement condemning this verdict.
Leung Kai Chun, a Hong Kong student studying in the United States, spoke at the gathering about the suppression faced by Hong Kong people before and after the implementation of the National Security Law: since 2019, at least 10,000 Hong Kong people have been arrested for expressing their political views, with a minimum of 1,900 people imprisoned for their political beliefs. Additionally, the conviction rate for cases concerning national security in Hong Kong is over 90%, far exceeding the rate in general criminal cases.
Leung Kai Chun stated that Jimmy Lai has been in prolonged detention for over five years; during the detention period, he has sometimes been confined alone for up to 23 hours a day, which is extremely inhumane. Throughout the trial, the judge repeatedly interrupted Jimmy Lai’s statements. The prosecution alleged that Jimmy Lai’s editorial stating that the National Security Law destroys Hong Kong’s freedom and rule of law was “baseless”; when Jimmy Lai asked, “Who can speak the truth in Hong Kong now?” the judge immediately interrupted him.
“Every day, the events happening in Hong Kong are heartbreaking for all of us,” Leung Kai Chun said. He cited the trial of 16 German judges and prosecutors at the Nuremberg Military Tribunal after World War II as an example and reminded Hong Kong’s judiciary that their identities cannot be shield in violating human rights.
On the 14th of the month, in addition to Los Angeles, protests were also held simultaneously in San Francisco and San Diego. Members from the headquarters of the Chinese Democratic Party in the US South and West spoke at the gathering, condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s use of Jimmy Lai’s case to undermine freedom of speech, press, normal international exchanges, and interactions in Hong Kong.
The Chinese Democratic Party headquarters issued a statement calling on governments, parliaments, and international organizations not to remain silent on this case and to continue to pressure the Chinese Communist Party. The statement also expressed that they will continue to expose, record, and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its destruction of the rule of law and human rights in Hong Kong.