For more headlines like this, please subscribe to Afrihkanews.com
TAIPEI - The son of leading China critic and Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai said on Friday (Dec 15) he thought the outcome of his father's trial next week had already been decided but he was proud of him for standing up for his beliefs.
Lai's long-awaited trial under national security legislation imposed by China in 2020 opens in Hong Kong on Monday. He faces possible life imprisonment on charges he colluded with foreign forces, including the United States.
Lai, 76, the founder of now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership, has faced a salvo of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
He is already serving a five year, nine month jail term for a fraud conviction over a lease dispute for his newspaper. Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges he faces in his new trial.
Sebastien Lai, one of his sons, told Reuters in Taiwan's capital Taipei that the trial, with three government-appointed judges and no jury, was a sham.
"There's actually no anxiety involved once you think about it because it's a complete show trial. The result is already pre-determined," said Lai, who lives in Taiwan.
Hong Kong's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say the city's rule of law is robust and all are treated equally before it. Both Hong Kong and Chinese officials say the security legislation was needed to restore stability to the former British colony.
Sebastien Lai said it was his understanding his father was "doing OK".
"He's 76-years-old and has been in solitary confinement for the last three years, so I can't imagine what that does to a person physically and mentally," he added.
Sebastien, who has not seen his father in three years, said he missed simple things like family dinners.
"I always go back and forth - would I rather my father was with me instead of standing up for the freedom of others? And my conclusion is I'm tremendously inspired by him and I'm very proud he's my dad."
Source:Reuters
中国评论家黎智英之子称审判结果已预先确定
台北 - 著名中国评论家、香港媒体大亨黎智英的儿子周五（12 月 15 日）表示，他认为父亲下周的审判结果已经确定，但他为父亲坚持自己的信仰感到自豪。
黎智英根据中国 2020 年实施的国家安全立法接受期待已久的审判，周一在香港开庭。 他因与包括美国在内的外国势力勾结而面临终身监禁。
76 岁的黎智英是现已关闭的亲民主报纸《苹果日报》的创始人，也是香港最著名的中国共产党领导批评者之一，自 2019 年一波亲民主示威以来，他面临着一系列诉讼。
他因报纸租赁纠纷被判欺诈罪，目前正在服刑五年零九个月。 黎智英对他在新审判中面临的所有指控均表示不认罪。
他的儿子塞巴斯蒂安·赖(Sebastien Lai)在台湾首都台北告诉路透社，这次由政府任命的三名法官、没有陪审团的审判是一场骗局。
居住在台湾的赖说：“实际上，只要你想一想，就不会感到焦虑，因为这完全是一场表演审判。结果已经是预先确定的。”
香港政府没有立即回应置评请求。 香港和中国当局表示，香港的法治是健全的，所有人在法治面前都受到平等对待。 香港和中国官员均表示，需要通过安全立法来恢复这个前英国殖民地的稳定。
塞巴斯蒂安·赖 (Sebastien Lai) 表示，据他了解，他的父亲“做得很好”。
“他已经 76 岁了，过去三年一直被单独监禁，所以我无法想象这会对一个人的身体和精神造成什么影响，”他补充道。
塞巴斯蒂安已经三年没有见到父亲了，他说他想念家庭聚餐等简单的事情。
“我总是反复思考——我宁愿父亲和我在一起，而不是为他人的自由挺身而出？我的结论是，我受到了他的极大启发，我很自豪他是我的父亲。”
Comments