Jimmy Lai, center, leaves the High Court after being released on bail in Hong Kong on December 23.
Photographer: Roy Liu / Bloomberg
Photographer: Roy Liu / Bloomberg
Hong Kong High Court’s decision to bail media mogul Jimmy Lai is “unbelievable”, according to a comment in the spokesman of the Communist Party of China, who warned that there are legal reasons for the case to be transferred to the mainland.
The Daily Daily called the 73-year-old founder of Next Digital Ltd. “notorious and extremely dangerous.” Earlier this month, prosecutors charged Lai with a comprehensive national security law imposed by Beijing in June, saying she had cooperated with foreigners in demanding sanctions against China.
Earlier, a judge denied bail while giving prosecutors more time to review media interviews and about 1,000 tweets for more evidence. On December 23, the Hong Kong High Court granted Lai a bail of US $ 10 million (US $ 1.3 million), provided he remained at home and avoided giving interviews or posting on networks. socializing. He also had to hand over travel documents.
It is not difficult for Lai to give up bail and run away, the people’s daily life he said, citing the wealth and “motives” of foreign forces.
Hong Kong courts are the latest check on Beijing’s growing power
Lai’s arrest and a dramatic police raid on his pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily in August sparked a shout-out from foreign governments, including the United Kingdom, that the new security law is being used to curb press freedoms. from the former British colony. .
There are full legal reasons for China to invoke Article 55 of the National Security Law, the newspaper said. Article 55 provides that China may “exercise jurisdiction over a case relating to offenses endangering national security” if the case is complex due to the involvement of a foreign country or external elements or if a serious situation arises in which the Hong Kong government cannot effectively enforce the law.
If Lai’s case cannot be dealt with in accordance with the law, it will cause a huge shock to the rule of law in Hong Kong and put national security in an extremely dangerous situation, according to the comment.
The threat in the editorial will add to growing concerns about China’s control over Hong Kong. As the first legal security proceedings prepare to begin, Hong Kong’s independent judiciary appears as Beijing’s last control of power. To date, Hong Kong judges have continued to demonstrate their independence, but in a clear break from the past, Beijing also weighs in on Hong Kong court decisions, praising satisfactory rulings and using friendly media to criticize others.
– With the assistance of John Liu and Jessica Sui