Hong Kong Media Overseas (“HKMO”) issues its strongest condemnation of the court verdict against Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital. The so-called “national security” trial represents a blatant act of political retribution against journalists, and constitutes a profound and ongoing assault on both press freedom and the rule of law.
Jimmy Lai has been arbitrarily detained since December 2020—more than four years. His trial, which dragged on intermittently for one year and eight months, fully exposes the authorities’ strategy of eroding rights through procedure and punishing speech through fear. This case has become a defining symbol of the collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong.We are deeply concerned about Mr Lai’s health and mistreatment in prison and seriously question whether he will survive this draconian sentence.
The charges of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces,” leveled against Lai and several former senior Apple Daily executives—including former CEO Cheung Kim-hung, former Deputy Chief Editor Chan Pui-man, former Chief Editor Law Wai-kwong, former Executive Editor Lam Man-chung, former English Edition Executive Editor Fung Wai-kwong, and former Editorial Page Editor Yeung Ching-kee—are baseless and politically motivated. Criminalizing news reporting, editorial decision-making, and commentary is tantamount to putting society’s right to know and to hold power accountable on trial.
Press freedom is a universally recognized human right and a cornerstone of any free and civilized society. It is also an essential pillar of the transparent information environment that sustains an international financial center. The use of National security law to punish reporting and opinion will inevitably create a chilling effect, silence public debate, and destroy Hong Kong’s reputation and credibility as an open city.
1. The charges of “collusion with foreign forces” on the basis of journalistic work is a political weapon used to suppress dissent and restrict freedom of expression.
2. The practice of replacing a jury with “designated judges” under the National Security Law gravely undermines judicial transparency and public confidence, violating the principles of fair trial.
3. The prosecution of Jimmy Lai and the forced closure of Apple Daily have inflicted irreversible damage on professional journalism, the safety of media workers, and the public’s right to information.
The HKMO therefore demands the following:
• An immediate end to the use of “national security” as a pretext to persecute journalists and suppress free expression; the withdrawal of all politically motivated charges against Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily staff; and the full guarantee of their rights to an open, fair trial and legal representation.
• The Hong Kong SAR Government and the Central Government must honor their obligations under the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration to uphold press freedom and human rights, and cease using administrative and judicial processes as tools of political punishment.
• The Hong Kong judiciary must restore independence and professionalism, reject political interference and “outcome-driven” trials, reinstate the jury system in major speech-related cases, and rebuild public trust in the rule of law.
• The international community, professional associations, and oversight bodies must continue to send an unambiguous message regarding Hong Kong’s press freedom regression and activate appropriate human rights accountability mechanisms.
• Media organizations, both local and international, should strengthen protection mechanisms and legal support for journalists, build cross-border networks of solidarity, and respond swiftly and collectively to any acts targeting press freedom.
“The trial of Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily is not merely the prosecution of a single journalist—it is a judgment on the very existence of press and information freedom in Hong Kong. When journalism is silenced, truth is erased, and the public’s right to know and to hold power accountable is extinguished, society is left only with obedience and fear.”
