Hong Kong’s High Count convened a mitigation plea hearing on Monday in the case of Jimmy Lai (黎智英), the imprisoned pro-democracy media tycoon who has become a symbol of the Chinese government’s crackdown on free expression in Hong Kong. The hearing will last until Thursday.
The hearing is the last chance for Lai’s lawyers to argue for lenience ahead of his sentencing, which could give Lai 10 years to life imprisonment. In December, Lai was found guilty on two counts of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or external elements,” and one count of “collusion with foreign countries or external elements.”
Activist Andy Li (李宇軒) and paralegal Chan Tsz-wah (陳梓華) — both of whom plead guilty on national security charges in 2021 for their connections to Lai and subsequently testified against him — are also having their mitigation pleas heard on Monday, along with six others charged in the case. Chan’s and Li’s lawyers have asked for a 50% reduction in their punishments.
Lai, 78, is the most prominent figure to be charged under Hong Kong’s 2020 national security, which has effectively quashed resistance in a city once known as a bastion of media freedom in Asia. After Hong Kong suffered its deadliest fire in decades in November, the authorities summoned foreign media to warn them against publishing coverage critical of the government.
Lai long had the build to match his personality, with friends fondly referring to him as “Fatty Lai,” but he has lost significant weight while in prison. The Hong Kong authorities have denied allegations of mistreatment. Lai’s legal team says that his health continues to deteriorate.
Lai’s conviction has drawn condemnation from human rights groups and governments across the world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has emerged in recent months as a key architect of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, has been among Lai’s more vocal advocates. “Jimmy Lai has spent over 1,800 days in prison,” Rubio wrote on X after Lai was convicted. “I echo President Trump’s call for Beijing to conclude this ordeal and release Mr. Lai.”
Trump reportedly raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) when they met in South Korea in October. The U.K. has also called for Lai’s release, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemning his conviction as a “politically motivated persecution.”
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