Hong Kong court rejects activist publisher Jimmy Lai’s bid to throw out sedition charge
Associated PressDec 30, 2023
Jimmy Lai Pleads Not Guilty in Hong Kong Sedition Trial
story
Image copyright: Pakkin Leung via Wikimedia Commons (Dec. 31, 2020)
The Facts
Hong Kong media mogul and prominent activist Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit foreign collusion and conspiring to publish seditious material as his national security trial resumed on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in their opening arguments, prosecutors claimed that the defendant used his now-defunct Apple Daily news outlet to spread provocative content while collaborating with prominent foreign figures to lobby for sanctions and instigate hostility against Hong Kong and mainland China.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
As the free world has known for a long time, the charges against Lai were always a sham — notably because he has been accused of sedition simply for talking to politicians and other activists. If Hong Kong wants to retain any of its past democratic dignity, Lai should be freed immediately. Otherwise, the Beijing-controlled courts will show once and for all that this is simply about crushing any dissenting voices.
Pro-China narrative
It's laughable that Western countries with similar — and even more vague — national security sedition laws are taking the moral high ground and claiming that this prosecution is politically motivated as if mainland China and Hong Kong weren't governed by the rule of law. There is no freedom in any country that allows bad actors to work directly with foreign powers against their homeland.
