The conviction of former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under a national security law written by the Chinese communist regime has drawn condemnation from governments and lawmakers around the world, who called the ruling politically motivated and an erasure of the territory’s rule of law.
Lai, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), now faces up to life in prison after being found guilty of two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” under the Beijing-imposed national security law and a third count of “sedition” under a colonial-era law.
The guilty verdict was handed down on Dec. 15 by a panel of three national security judges, handpicked by the city’s pro-Beijing government, at the West Kowloon court in Hong Kong.
Lai had pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
A mitigation hearing is set to begin on Jan. 12, and the sentencing would be handed down later, the city’s government said. Lai will decide whether to appeal after sentencing, according to his lawyer, Robert Pang.
The UK government said Lai, a British national, was targeted by Hong Kong and Beijing for “peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.”
“The UK condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict,” UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on X. “We continue to call for Mr Lai’s immediate release, for all necessary treatment and for full access to independent medical professionals.”
Lai, who suffers from diabetes and heart problems, has been incarcerated in Hong Kong since December 2020. Most of it was in solitary confinement, according to his family and legal team.
The European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union’s diplomatic arm, echoed the sentiment.
“This prosecution is politically motivated and emblematic of the erosion of democracy and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020,” the EEAS said in a statement, reiterating a call for Lai’s immediate and unconditional release.
The national security law criminalized speeches or actions deemed secessionist, subversive, terrorist, or colluding with foreign forces against the communist regime, with punishments as severe as life imprisonment.
Five years since the draconian law came into effect, the former British colony has shifted toward greater authoritarianism: pro-democracy activists and lawmakers have been jailed or in self-exile; independent newspapers and online portals shut down; and prominent civil groups disbanded.
On Dec. 14, the Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s longest-standing pro-democracy party, voted to dissolve amid the CCP’s political suppression.
Taiwan
The Hong Kong media tycoon’s conviction has left Taiwan and the international community “deeply saddened and disappointed,” the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei said.
“The Hong Kong government has always stressed, ‘telling Hong Kong’s story well,’ but no amount of narrative can cover up the fact that it suppresses freedom of speech and persecutes pro-democracy activists,” the Taiwanese government agency, responsible for overseeing the relations with Beijing, said in a statement.
The ruling against Lai essentially serves as a “declaration” to the world that freedoms, democracy, and judicial independence in Hong Kong had been “systematically eroded,” it added.
The CCP views Taiwan—a self-ruled democracy—as part of its territory and has offered a “one country, two systems” framework for Taiwan, similar to the one it promised to apply to Hong Kong until 2047. That idea has been rejected by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who vowed to maintain the status quo with dignity and defend the island nation’s freedom.
Family
Sebastien Lai, son of the imprisoned publisher, appealed for urgent help to free his father, who turned 78 on Dec. 8.
Speaking at a press conference in London, Sebastien Lai called his father’s “rapidly” declining health “heartbreaking,” saying that the former businessman lost 10 kilograms (about 22 pounds) over the past year alone.
“It’s time to put action behind words, and make my father’s release a precondition to closer relationships with China,” the younger Lai said shortly after the Hong Kong High Court delivered the ruling.
Lawmakers
Around 76 lawmakers from 30 countries have issued a statement calling on governments worldwide to condemn the “travesty of justice.”
“Had the Sino-British Joint Declaration and other binding instruments of international law been honoured by Beijing, this prosecution could never have proceeded,” lawmakers from Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, said in the statement.
“Jimmy Lai’s suffering is therefore due, in part, to the failure of the international community to enforce China’s legal obligations.”
The lawmakers urged their governments to make it clear that serious violations of international law will have “consequences.”
“There can be no business-as-usual with a state that persecutes innocent individuals on fabricated grounds.”
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