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China News: Hong Kong court convicted Jimmy Lai on charges of endangering national security and collusion with foreign forces, sentence will be pronounced later. Jimmy Lai is a famous media personality. He has been a vocal critic of the Communist Party. He may get life imprisonment in this case.
Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s famous media personality and vocal critic of Beijing Jimmy Lai was convicted by the city court on Monday in a landmark case related to national security. Three government-appointed judges found Lai, 78, guilty of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious articles. However, Lai has declared himself innocent. The decision regarding punishment will be announced later. Lai could be sentenced to life imprisonment under Hong Kong’s national security law.
Lai (78) was arrested in August 2020 under the national security law imposed by Beijing. This law was implemented after widespread anti-government protests in 2019. During the five years he spent in custody, Lai was convicted of several minor crimes. Among those present at the hearing were Lai’s wife and son, as well as Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Jenn. Lai has started looking more weak and thin than before.
What did the Western countries do about Lai?
The case against Lai has been closely monitored by the US, Britain, the European Union and political observers. The decision against Lai is also being considered a test of Beijing’s diplomatic relations. US President Donald Trump said he has raised the matter with China, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government has given priority to ensuring the release of British citizen Lai.
What is the punishment in Hong Kong?
The founder of now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has been convicted of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign powers to endanger national security. Apart from this, a charge of conspiracy to distribute seditious publications has also been proved against him. Under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, a conviction for collusion with foreign powers could result in a prison term ranging from three years to life imprisonment, depending on the nature of the crime and the role played in it. At the same time, there is a provision of maximum two years imprisonment for the crime of treason.
The newspaper has been against the Communist Party
‘Apple Daily’ has been a vocal critic of the Hong Kong government and the ruling ‘Chinese Communist Party’. He had to close the newspaper after the police raided his newsroom in 2021, senior journalists were arrested and properties were confiscated.
