"The 78-year-old has denied all the charges against him, saying in court he is a political prisoner facing persecution from Beijing. Lai's treatment has been criticised by global leaders including US president Donald Trump and British prime minister Keir Starmer. His arrest and trial comes amid a years-long national security crackdown in the financial hub, after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019."
"Beh Lih Yi, the Asia-Pacific director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said: Jimmy Lai's trial has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom. Beijing says Lai has received a fair trial and all are treated equally under the national security law that has restored order to the city. Besides Lai, six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal will also be sentenced."
Jimmy Lai faces sentencing in Hong Kong after five years of legal proceedings following his December conviction on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. He was arrested in 2020. Sentencing guidelines under the national security law allow penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment for grave offences tied to solicitation of foreign sanctions. Lai, 78, denies the charges and says he is a political prisoner; his health is frail. Global leaders have criticized his treatment while Beijing asserts he received a fair trial. Six former Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal will also be sentenced.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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