Figure of the pro-democracy camp, the boss of the tabloid “Apple Daily” had carried out twenty days of detention before being released, on December 23, against the payment of a bond.
Le Monde avec AFP
New twist in the story that links Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong media mogul and figure of the pro-democracy camp, and the forces of the order in Hong Kong. The latter was returned to prison, Thursday, December 31, after a hearing before the highest judicial body in the city, which followed the requisitions of the prosecution, which did not want his release on bail.
Mr. Lai, very critical of Beijing, is one of the best-known Hong Kong personalities targeted by the national security law imposed by Beijing to restore calm in the territory after more than six months of protests in 2019.
At 73 years old, the boss of the tabloid Apple Daily carried out twenty days of detention before being released, on December 23, against the payment of a bond of 10 million HKD (1 million euros) and with very strict conditions. Under house arrest, he was also banned from speaking in public and posting on Twitter.
The Supreme Court of Appeal on Thursday allowed the prosecution to appeal the decision of the judge of a lower court who could “have been wrong in his interpretation or application” of article 42 of the new legislation.
The latter stipulates that no bail should be granted, unless the judge has sufficient reason to believe that the accused will not commit further offenses. p >
“We have concluded that it is possible to argue that the judge’s decision was in error and that his bail order was invalid,” states the ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal, which allows the prosecution to appeal. He also granted the latter’s request to maintain the media mogul’s detention until February 1, when the appeal will be considered.
Resignation
Jimmy Lai is accused of “collusion with foreign powers” for calling on foreign governments to sanction Hong Kong and China in response to Beijing’s policy in the semi-autonomous territory.
Over a thousand tweets from Mr. Lai and a large number of interviews he gave to media were reviewed by the prosecution. Mr. Lai is the first Security Act accused to be granted bail. The prosecution immediately appealed against this decision.
The People’s Daily, an organ of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China, criticized the release on bail, saying it “undermined the ‘Rule of law in Hong Kong “. Mr. Lai is also facing prosecution for fraud and for taking part in illegal gatherings during the protest movement of 2019.
On Tuesday, he resigned as chairman and executive director of the Next Digital Limited press group, which owns the Apple Daily newspaper, which this self-taught newspaper created thirty years ago. He tendered his resignation “in order to spend more time going about his personal affairs,” Bloomberg reported, citing a press group statement.
The year 2020 was marked by an unprecedented decline in freedoms in Hong Kong. China had nevertheless committed, before recovering Hong Kong in 1997, to preserve the freedoms and semi-autonomy of the territory for fifty years, in application of the principle “One country, two systems” negotiated with London. But the Chinese leaders have operated, this year, a muscular takeover of the semi-autonomous territory, where certain opinions are now punishable by life imprisonment.