A group of bipartisan lawmakers issued a fiery rebuke of the recent guilty verdict of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai on fraud charges Tuesday.
Hailing Lai, 74, as a man of “integrity and character,” the bipartisan group slammed the court for finding him guilty of “bogus fraud charges” and warned the Chinese Communist Party that the world was watching.
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“Jimmy Lai is a man of integrity and character — a strong advocate for press freedom and democracy, a man of faith, a devoted husband and father, and a hardworking entrepreneur. The Chinese Communist Party is using bogus fraud charges to smear Mr. Lai’s reputation and justify an additional sham National Security Law (NSL) trial in December,” the group declared.
Jimmy LaiOver a dozen senators issued the joint statement, including Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Risch (R-ID), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rick Scott (R-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Pat Toomey (R-PA).
“We urge PRC authorities to restore respect for press freedom in Hong Kong, where a once-vibrant independent media environment has all but disappeared. Efforts to stifle press freedom and restrict the free flow of information undermine Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and hurt Hong Kong’s credibility as a business and financial hub,” they continued.
HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY MEDIA ENTREPRENEUR JIMMY LAI FOUND GUILTY OF FRAUD
The State Department also issued a similar denunciation of the verdict against Lai.
“Though Lai’s fraud trial was not on [National Security Law] grounds, local authorities nonetheless imposed the NSL’s more restrictive legal procedures for this non-NSL case. These actions undermine the PRC’s obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is a binding international agreement, to uphold Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and protected rights and freedoms.”
Lai was found guilty on two counts related to alleged violations of a lease agreement by subletting office space to a secretarial firm. A sentence for his conviction has not been announced. He is the founder of Next Digital, which published the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily.
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In addition to the fraud case against him, prosecutors are eyeing charges against him for “colluding with foreign forces,” pursued under the national security law enacted after the protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. That case is set to head to trial in December.
Lai is serving a 20-month prison sentence for his role in assemblies during the 2019 uproar, as well as a 2020 vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The events were unsanctioned by the CCP.
