Jimmy Lai trial: China fears 'smear campaign' as uproar grows for pro-democracy activist's release

The prosecution of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is set to turn the discourse towards a wave of pro-democracy protests that gripped the city four years ago.

Having spent nearly three years in custody, the media mogul who heralded an era of generation-defining pro-democracy journalism with his Apple Daily paper, will stand trial at the High Court on December 18.

The court has reportedly estimated that the trial will take at least 80 days.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

What is Hong Kong expecting during Jimmy Lai trial?

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang branded theinternational coverage into Jammi Lai's trial as potential "smear campaign".

"I’m sure they will make use of this as another excuse to smear our government and to smear our country … It’s a must. It’s anticipated," Tang was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

"They will make use of every opportunity to smear Hong Kong," he said.

"When you look back, every two or three months, there will be a certain report from the US, from the UK, talking about [how] there’s no freedoms in Hong Kong. And now you can say whatever you want, right?"

Who is Jimmy Lai?

In a city of business tycoons, Lai has been the only multi-millionaire who ended up jeopardising his fortune for Hong Kong's freedom from China's communistassertiveness.

During the wave of pro-democracy protests in 2019, the 70-year-old was frequently seen at the marches, in the pouring rain or blazing summer heat, and was hailed as "a democratic superstar".

Lai has been an outspoken democracy advocate in Hong Kong for years. He founded the tabloid Apple Daily in 1995 which took a strong pro-democracy stance in the administrative region.

Lai was originally arrested in August of 2020 under a controversial national security law passed that year by Beijing. The law sharply curtailed free speech in the region in an effort to quash what the Chinese Communist Party describes as sedition in the separately administered region of Hong Kong.

The last edition of Apple Daily, published on June 24, 2019, with headline: 'Hong Kong bids farewell in the rain; 'We support Apples', a reference to the individuals associated with the former daily.

Apple Daily closed down upon Chinese clampdown. Its last edition was published on June 24, 2019.

Catholic bishops call on Hong Kong government for Jimmy Lai's release

Meanwhile, a number of Catholic leaders from around the world this week have called upon the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to release Jimmy Lai.

In a petition this month signed by 10 Catholic bishops and archbishops, the prelates said they "call on the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai."

"Mr. Lai’s persecution for supporting pro-democracy causes through his newspaper and in other forums has gone on long enough," the prelates wrote.

"There is no place for such cruelty and oppression in a territory that claims to uphold the rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression," they said.

Also watch |Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to over five years for lease fraud

"In standing up for his beliefs and committing himself through his faith to challenge autocracy and repression, Jimmy Lai has lost his business, been cut off from his family, and has just surpassed 1,000 days in prison, while facing the prospect of many more years of incarceration to come."

"He is 75 years old," the bishops said. "He must be freed now."