Earth Science News
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai tells court he advocated 'peaceful resistance'
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai tells court he advocated 'peaceful resistance'
By Xinqi SU
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 22, 2024

Jailed Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai on Friday said he had advocated for "peaceful resistance" against China's erosion of the city's freedoms and tried to "reduce violence" during huge democracy protests in 2019.

Lai has been giving evidence for three days in his trial for collusion with foreign forces, an offence carrying up to life in prison under the sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the financial hub in mid-2020.

Lai is one of the most prominent figures to be prosecuted under the law, with Western countries and rights groups demanding his release.

The 76-year-old founder of the now-shuttered tabloid Apple Daily is also accused of "conspiracy to publish seditious publications".

On Friday, Lai rejected the allegation that he had intended to incite public hatred and violence against the authorities with commentaries published in Apple Daily.

"All I said...was a true reflection of the truth I perceived and the true thought of my heart, without any sense of hostility or intention to be seditious, and this goes for all my other articles," Lai said.

"I always advocate peaceful resistance," he said, adding that the purpose of the articles was to "resist the encroachment of China on our freedom".

The case centres around articles in the newspaper that criticised Beijing's leadership and supported the protests.

The demonstrations upended the city for months, with disruptions ranging from road blockages to serious clashes with police.

Lai said his articles had suggested solidarity with peaceful protesters, but that had not extended to supporting violence.

"We were trying to get them together with us, so their violence will be reduced," Lai told the court.

Lai was also questioned about the founding of the English online edition of Apple Daily in May 2020, when the city was bracing for the security law.

Lai told the court a "sense of crisis" drove him to believe that the new edition would help Hong Kong by motivating foreign politicians to "take notice of our situation" and "voice out their concerns" to China.

Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors.

Lai has been behind bars since December 2020, and concerns have been raised about his medical and jail conditions.

He did not opt to testify in any of his five previous cases, all of which resulted in convictions, including for organising and participating in marches during the 2019 protests.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
'The boss' Jimmy Lai confident during Hong Kong security trial
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 20, 2024
Talkative and commandeering as he testified in court Wednesday, Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai still seemed like a man used to being in charge despite spending most of the last four years in jail. The 76-year-old took the witness stand in his trial for collusion with foreign forces, breaking the silence he has kept over five previous trials arising from his participation in the city's now quashed democracy movement. Lai's case is one of the most prominent prosecuted under the national security ... read more

DEMOCRACY
Failure haunts UN environment conferences

MapGuard enhances emergency evacuation tools across the Baltics

China zeroes in on 'common' disputes in wake of deadly attacks

Center for Catastrophe Modeling advances disaster preparedness solutions

DEMOCRACY
Enormous potential for rare Earth elements found in US coal ash

Bye bye microplastics new plastic is ocean degradable and recyclable

Amazon invests another $4 bn in AI firm Anthropic

Tunable ultrasound propagation in microscale metamaterials

DEMOCRACY
To design better water filters, MIT engineers look to manta rays

US moves to ramp up military engagements with Fiji

Extreme weather threatens Canada's hydropower future

Climate-threatened nations stage protest at COP29 over contentious deal

DEMOCRACY
Increased snowfall could preserve Patagonian glaciers with immediate emissions cuts

Political implications of Antarctic geoengineering debated

Space for Shore project tracks Svalbard glacier changes with Sentinel-1

NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia's backyard

DEMOCRACY
Focaccia baking in the Late Neolithic highlights complex food traditions

Spire Global partners with LatConnect60 to enhance data-driven agriculture practices

These crops dominate Germany's agricultural landscape

Scientists seek miracle pill to stop methane cow burps

DEMOCRACY
16 dead, seven missing in Indonesia flood: disaster agency

Lava covers parking lot at famed Iceland geothermal spa

Libya's Derna hosts theatre festival year after flash flood

Philippines typhoon death toll rises to 12

DEMOCRACY
Burkina freezes assets of more than 100 people over 'financing of terrorism'

How will Senegal's new leaders use their legislative landslide?

UK doubles aid to war-torn Sudan

World not listening to us, laments Kenyan climate scientist at COP29

DEMOCRACY
Dementia risk method uses machine learning for scalable and affordable care

Why the powerful are more likely to cheat

Healthy elbow room: Social distancing in ancient cities

Overthinking stems from ancient brain processes influencing modern cognition

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.