Court rejects Lai’s claims of ‘persecution’, while former media boss insists Hongkongers no longer enjoyed freedoms as before
SCMP
Lai said on Wednesday that he did not believe Hongkongers still enjoyed freedom and the protection of the rule of law because he felt some prosecutions made after the Beijing-imposed legislation took effect in June 2020 had been politically driven, including his.
The 77-year-old allegedly attracted sanctions and other hostile responses from the United States and its allies while inciting hatred towards the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities through comments made in newspaper columns, on social media and in the online commentary series “Live Chat with Jimmy Lai”.
The court heard former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten appeared as a guest in an episode of the series on November 13, 2020, in which he suggested a possible response to Beijing’s threat to Western democracies was by “continuing to stand up for people who’ve been so brave in Hong Kong”.
Lai agreed, saying in the show the national security law “totally intimidated the people here that we could not have any demonstrations”.
In court, defence counsel Steven Kwan Man-wai highlighted that the national security law incorporated human rights provisions and guarantees for the rule of law, but Lai expressed reservations.
“I don’t know how to answer you,” the ex-media boss said with a sneer. “If there’s a political prisoner, I don’t believe there’s rule of law, I don’t believe there’s freedom.”