Pro-Democracy Hong Kong Activist Jimmy Lai Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison On "Fraud" Charge

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Saturday to five years and nine months in prison for fraud. Lai, a prominent critic of Chinese power, had previously spent 20 months in prison for his participation in pro-democracy protests.

At 75, he has yet to be tried for "collusion with foreign forces," a violation of the national security law imposed by Beijing that carries a potential life sentence. Lai's latest conviction relates to the violation of rental conditions for the newspaper's offices.

Wong Wai-keung, a former executive at the paper, was also sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraud. The judge in the case insisted that the trial had nothing to do with freedom of the press.

The prosecution claimed that a consulting firm run by Mr. Lai, which was used for his personal purposes, occupied offices rented by Apple Daily for publishing and printing. This was a violation of the rental terms agreed upon with the government company and constituted fraud, according to the prosecution. In contrast, the defence lawyers argued that the case should have been handled in a civil trial, rather than a criminal trial, and that the area of the offices involved was minimal. Mr. Wong, who is 61 years old, was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The judge in the case stated that there should be no connection made to politics and insisted that the trial had nothing to do with freedom of the press. Jimmy Lai, a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, has long been an opponent of the Beijing authorities. His newspaper, Apple Daily, was a vocal critic of Chinese power before it was forced to shut down in mid-2021 after its funds were frozen and several of its executives, including its founder, were arrested.

When the Chinese government stepped up its efforts to exert control over Hong Kong, Apple Daily became an even more vocal critic of the regime's plans. This has included exposing corruption and human rights abuses, as well as highlighting the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms.

The newspaper's coverage angered the Chinese regime, which has responded by use of a variety of tactics to try and silence it. These included arrests and intimidation of Apple Daily journalists, as well as efforts to block the newspaper's website and disrupt its distribution. Apple Daily’s publication ended in 2021.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration, was an important step in the process of transferring sovereignty over Hong Kong from the UK to China.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration established the framework for the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese control. Under the terms of the treaty, the UK agreed to transfer the territory of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997, after which Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. The treaty also outlined the principles that would govern Hong Kong's relationship with China, including the idea of "one country, two systems," which would allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy and to continue to operate under its own legal and economic systems.