HK blasts 'despicable' Western smears after Jimmy Lai verdict

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has strongly opposed malicious attacks, false statements, and smears against the city by the United States and Western countries, anti-China media, organizations, and politicians, following the court ruling in media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's case.

The biased statements and malicious smears from external forces totally disregarded the rule of law and "precisely reflect that the national security risks we face are real," a government spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

The city's High Court on Monday found Lai, founder of the now-defunct tabloid Apple Daily, guilty of violating the HKSAR National Security Law, including on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.

Three Apple Daily-related companies – Apple Daily Ltd, Apple Daily Printing Ltd, and AD Internet Ltd – were also found guilty on two charges: conspiracy to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display, and/or reproduce seditious publications, and conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.

"External forces showed no respect in the HKSAR court's independent judgment of the case, which had been made on the basis of facts and evidence," the government spokesperson said in Tuesday's statement.

The external forces also refused to acknowledge the evidence set out in the reasons for the verdict, and refused to understand the court's considerations and rationale for the verdict, the spokesman said, adding that they instead wantonly launched attacks, slandered, and attacked the SAR government, which was clearly a case of politics trumping the law.

"With the external forces distorting facts and confounding right and wrong, their malicious intentions are clearly revealed. We must sternly denounce their wrongdoings to set the record straight."

Stressing that the court's conviction verdict was entirely free from any political considerations, the spokesman said the court clearly pointed out in the reasons for the verdict that Lai was not on trial for his political views or beliefs.

The court's reasons for the verdict in the case are 855 pages long, fully open for public inspection, and meticulously explain the court's analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for convicting Lai and the three defendant companies, added the spokesman.

"Relevant countries, anti-China media, organizations, and politicians would only smear the HKSAR government and HKSAR courts with empty slogans, alleging the so-called political persecution of Lai Chee-ying. Yet, they dare not face the fact that the court's conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations," reads the statement.

Pointing out that Jimmy Lai's case has nothing to do with freedom of the press at all, the spokesman said some media organizations and others claiming to represent journalists have conflated the criminal acts in this case with freedom of the press, and have even played up different cases to vilify the HKSAR.

"The public trial of this case revealed Lai Chee-ying's close management and hands-on control of the editorial direction of Apple Daily, and one of the senior officials even said they were free within a 'bird cage'. Meanwhile, Lai Chee-ying had repeatedly and personally colluded with foreign forces, begging for sanctions and hostile actions against the central authorities and the HKSAR government."

Lai undermined the fundamental interests of the country and the well-being of Hong Kong residents, said the spokesman.

He has long been using his media outlet, Apple Daily, to wantonly create social conflicts, incite social antagonism, incite hatred, glorify violence, and openly beg for foreign sanctions against China and the HKSAR, attracting external interference, the spokesman said.

"He has harmed the fundamental interests of the country and the well-being of the people of Hong Kong; his actions are shameful and his intentions malicious. His wanton crimes were committed in full view of the public, and the evidence is compelling," the spokesman said, adding that the court's conviction demonstrates that righteousness is upheld by the law and the core values of Hong Kong are safeguarded.

Stressing that the HKSAR has a responsibility to safeguard national security and will resolutely combat acts and activities endangering national security, the spokesman said, "We will do our utmost to prevent, suppress and impose punishment for acts and activities endangering national security to fulfil this perfectly justified responsibility."