Calls by a group of foreign Catholic leaders for the immediate release of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who will face a national security trial next month, were “misleading and slanderous,” the Hong Kong government has said.
In a statement released on Thursday night, Hong Kong authorities “firmly rejected” a petition signed by ten archbishops and bishops from eight countries demanding the 75-year-old Apple Daily founder be released immediately and unconditionally. Such calls amounted to interference with the city’s internal affairs, the government said.
“The HKSAR Government firmly rejects and strongly disapproves of the fact-twisting remarks made by the foreign Catholic leaders to inappropriately interfere in the HKSAR’s internal affairs and the HKSAR courts’ independent exercise of judicial power,” an English-language statement read.
‘Must be freed now’
The petition dated November 1 was co-signed by Catholic leaders from the US, India, Australia, Lithuania, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Nigeria.
They described the legal action against Lai, who is a Catholic, as “persecution” for his support for pro-democracy causes, saying the process “has gone on long enough.” He lost his business, was cut off from his family and has spent more than 1,000 days in prison, the religious leaders wrote.
“There is no place for such cruelty and oppression in a territory that claims to uphold the
rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression,” the petition read. “He is 75 years old. He must be freed now.”
Lai’s high-profile trial is set to begin on December 18 and is expected to last for around 80 days. He originally faced four charges: two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of collusion with foreign forces under the security law, as well as one offence linked to allegedly seditious publications.
The security law charges carry a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
The collusion charge has been left on court file, meaning that while the prosecution reserved the right to proceed with the charge, it could not do so without a judge’s permission.
Lai has been detained since late December 2020 and is currently serving five years and nine months in prison for separate fraud charges.
The Hong Kong government said on Friday that in all cases involving Lai, he had fully exercised his right to defend himself and the right to appeal. The rulings handed down by the city’s courts were all based on laws, facts and evidence after open trials.
‘Bad’ actions
The case details to be unveiled at the landmark trial of Lai next month would show how “bad” Lai’s actions were, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in an interview with the South China Morning Post published on Thursday.
The security minister refused to discuss the case details due to the judicial process but said the public would find out when the prosecution make their case in open court.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries on whether it was appropriate for Tang to make such remarks and whether it amounted to interfering with the ongoing case, the Judiciary, the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong Bar Association all said they would not comment on individual or ongoing cases. The Judiciary added it would not comment on views expressed by anyone on any case.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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