Jimmy Lai’s Trial Shines a Harsh Light on Hong Kong’s Judiciary
The global financial hub has already lost the crown as Asia’s ‘World City.’ Locking up 76-year old Lai for life will further tarnish its image.
Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images AsiaPacFleeing Communist China on a boat at the age of 12, Jimmy Lai came to Hong Kong as a refugee. The city, then a thriving metropolis with a bustling night life and a vibrant media scene, gave him everything he wanted and more. It transformed him from a refugee to a retail king, and then media emperor as owner of the pro-democracy news outlet Apple Daily. But it is his same beloved entrepot that is now the scene of his battle with Beijing.
Lai’s national security trial began on Dec. 18, resumes on Jan. 2, and is expected to last 80 days. He has been charged with sedition, a colonial-era offense with a maximum penalty of two years. The 76-year old is also facing life in prison for two counts of collusion with foreign forces, filed under the Beijing-imposed national security law, charges he has consistently rejected. Lai has spent more than 1,000 days in pre-trial detention, and has been denied his choice of legal representation. Instead of a jury, his fate will be determined by a selection of judges handpicked by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee. The courts have, so far, a 100% conviction rate for anyone charged under the law.