AFP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for fraud. He is also fined around a quarter of a million euros for allegedly tampering with the lease agreements of his companies.
Lai, 75, owned the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. He was already serving a 20-month sentence after being found partially guilty on fraud charges in October.
In addition, Lai became December last year already convicted to months in prison for participating in a commemoration of the 1989 Chinese student uprising. There is also an indictment against him due to the national security law introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 to crack down on dissidents. Formally, Lai is suspected of “collusion with foreign powers.”
Imminent life
Lai could face life in prison in the latter case for refusing to compromise with the prosecutor. This trial was supposed to start on December 1, but was postponed because Lai wants to use a foreign lawyer. Hong Kong refuses to allow it on national security grounds, but an official decision has yet to be made.
The media mogul is the most prominent member of the pro-democracy movement in the former British crown colony to be brought to justice. Lai has been vocally critical of the curtailment of civil rights there. He called China’s covid measures an excuse for the crackdown and called on foreign countries to stand up to Beijing.
