Hong Kong chief executive welcomes Jimmy Lai conviction

 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee on Monday welcomed the conviction of Jimmy Lai, saying the verdict upholds justice and safeguards the city's core values, reports CGTN.

Lee said Lai had long used media platforms to incite hatred, create social division, glorify violence, and call for foreign sanctions against the Chinese mainland and the HKSAR. He stressed that the ruling upholds the rule of law and sends a clear message that no one may endanger national security under the pretext of freedom or democracy.

Lai's trial came to be widely seen as yet another test of judicial independence for Hong Kong's courts, which have been accused of toeing Beijing's line since 2019, when it tightened its control over the city.

Hong Kong authorities insist the rule of law is intact but critics point to the hundreds of protesters and activists who have been jailed under the NSL - and its nearly 100% conviction rate as of May this year.

Bail is also often denied in NSL cases and that was the case with Lai too, despite rights groups and Lai's children raising concerns about his deteriorating health.

He has reportedly been held in solitary confinement.

Lai's son Sebastien told the BBC earlier this year that his father's "body is breaking down" - "Given his age, given his health... he will die in prison."

The Hong Kong government has also been criticized for barring foreign lawyers from working on NSL cases without prior permission. They said it was a national security risk, although foreign lawyers had operated in the city's courts for decades. Subsequently Lai was denied his choice of lawyer, who was based in the UK.

Lai now joins dozens of figures of the city's pro-democracy movement who have been sentenced to prison under the NSL.

The chief of Hong Kong's national security police addressed the media after the verdict, saying Lai had "fabricated news" in pursuit of political goals.

>>Agency