Hong Kong slams ‘smear campaigns’ as Jimmy Lai expected to return to court

The Hong Kong government has strongly condemned “smear campaigns” by foreign forces and anti-China media companies in relation to the national security law trial of former newspaper boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who returns to court on Thursday.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers will make their final oral arguments in his high-profile trial. The closing submissions procedure will be the Apple Daily founder’s last appearance at West Kowloon Court before the three presiding High Court judges reach a verdict on his case of conspiracies to publish seditious articles and collude with foreign forces.

A government spokesman warned on the eve of the trial resuming that it was inappropriate for anyone to comment on details of the case in an “attempt to interfere with the court to exercise judicial power independently, which might otherwise constitute perverting the course of justice”.

However, external forces and anti-China media would “still continue to distort the truth”, he said.

The spokesman noted that Lai’s lawyers had previously clarified that the former media boss had received appropriate treatment and welfare in prison, while stressing the trial was based on the principle of the rule of law.

Hong Kong law enforcement agencies had been taking actions strictly based on evidence, which had nothing to do with the political stance, background or occupation of the people or entities concerned, he added.