The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delivered its verdict on the 15th, finding Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital, guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications. This ruling was made by the judiciary in accordance with the law, justly and openly, fully embodies the spirit of the rule of law in Hong Kong and effectively safeguards national security in the region, which has been widely applauded by the Hong Kong public. The Hong Kong Federation of Journalists (HKFJ) firmly supports the High Court's verdict and stands resolutely behind the HKSAR in fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security.
It is, however, utterly disgraceful that the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has brazenly stepped forward to smear the court's ruling, colluding in bad faith with anti-China forces overseas. The HKJA's fallacious arguments completely disregard facts and truth, deliberately blur the boundaries of the law, defend the ringleader of illegal acts that endanger national security, constitute a gross trampling on the rule of law in Hong Kong, and are a blatant defamation of press freedom in the region. The HKFJ expresses its strongest condemnation and resolute opposition to such acts.
The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Jimmy Lai's crimes are backed by irrefutable evidence and are too numerous to record. A wealth of evidence and facts presented during the trial have exposed that Jimmy Lai colluded with external forces, acted as the mastermind behind the "color revolution" in Hong Kong, plotted a series of anti-China and destabilizing activities in the region, and begged foreign countries to impose sanctions against China and Hong Kong. As the acknowledged mastermind of these cases, he long manipulated media outlets such as Apple Daily to serve as a platform for organizing and mobilizing anti-China and destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, wantonly creating and spreading rumors, inciting divisions, stirring up hatred, advocating violence, and leaving an indelible pain on the Hong Kong public. He has been loathed by the Hong Kong society and the journalism industry as the "poisonous apple". Even after the implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the National Security Law for Hong Kong), he still refused to desist and continued to engage in acts and activities that endanger national security. No matter what pretexts Jimmy Lai may use, he cannot conceal his role as a puppet and lackey of external forces, and he will never escape the severe legal sanctions that await him.
Turning a blind eye to all the above facts, the HKJA has instead viciously attacked the court's verdict, placing itself completely in opposition to the rule of law in Hong Kong and the overwhelming majority of the Hong Kong public. Having abandoned journalistic ethics and crossed professional bottom lines, the HKJA has repeatedly launched unreasonable attacks against the National Security Law for Hong Kong, publicly slandered the laws of the HKSAR, and shielded the illegal and violent acts of rioters. It has long degenerated into a tool for external forces to destabilize Hong Kong, fully revealing its true colors of using the so-called "press freedom" to undermine the stability of the region.
The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
It must be solemnly pointed out that the rule of law is a core value of Hong Kong society, and press freedom has never been an unrestricted "privilege", let alone a "shield" for illegal and criminal activities. Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" has achieved universally recognized success, which is an undeniable fact. Since the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, press freedom in Hong Kong has been better protected in a safe, stable and law-based environment. The verdict in Jimmy Lai's case not only does not undermine press freedom in Hong Kong, but also strengthens the legal bottom line for the healthy development of the journalism industry.
The HKFJ firmly supports the HKSAR Government and judicial authorities in performing their duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law, and is resolute in upholding the authority of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. We demand that the HKJA immediately cease its attacks on the rule of law in Hong Kong, stop smearing press freedom in the region at once, and abandon its attempts to collude with external forces without delay. Any act that endangers national security and undermines social stability in the name of "press freedom" shall surely be subject to legal sanctions.
