Former Hong Kong Media Mogul Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
A judge in Hong Kong has decided to keep pro-democracy activist and former media mogul Jimmy Lai in prison for 20 years. He had already been detained for nearly five years awaiting trial.
Black vehicles carrying former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai arrive back at this courthouse on Monday morning.
It could be the last time Lai gets to see the outside world, as a judge has decided to keep the 78-year-old in prison for 20 more years after nearly five years of detention and over 1800 days in solitary confinement.
Lai has been convicted of foreign collusion and sedition under a Beijing-imposed national security law that took effect in 2020 after large-scale pro-democracy protests rocked the city.
His supporters waited outside the courthouse all night long for the verdict in this landmark case, and for some, it feels like the fate of Hong Kong’s democracy.
Mr. Lai is the conscience of Hong Kong, he’s the voice of Hongkongers, and he even spoke out for injustices and the development of democracy in the mainland.
I am worried [about his health], he’s an elderly man who’s almost 80, who has been jailed for almost 5 years. I hope he can be safe and healthy and be released soon and reunited with his family.
On the streets in Taipei, some say they haven’t closely followed Lai’s case but have heard about his connection to Hong Kong’s protests.
Several are taken aback when they hear his age and sentencing, and question whether his case warrants such severe punishment.
We still hope to have freedom of speech.
At that age, shouldn’t he be released?
I feel bad for him for being jailed at such old age.
Perhaps he will pursue other legal paths for a reduced sentence or something.
[To be jailed] for his speech I really feel for him.
One person that has paid attention to the national security law says Hong Kong is not safe for him anymore.
I can see that [the Chinese Communist Party]
likes to bully the weak and fears the strong.
They fear that the public will rise up again
and form large-scale demonstrations
like the anti-extradition bill movement.
[Hong Kong’s National Security Law] also touches on Taiwanese.
[Chinese authorities] can arrest you
without any concrete evidence.
So, I basically won’t ever travel to [Hong Kong or China].
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up surveillance on Taiwanese people who criticize their ways, threatening politicians and arresting activists.
Taiwan’s mainland affairs council, which handles relations with China, has condemned the latest sentencing, calling it a “warning sign of the Chinese Communist Party’s growing authoritarian outreach.”
With Jimmy Lai’s case coming to a close, it may serve as a warning for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Scott Huang and Irene Lin for TaiwanPlus.
