Hong Kong: 20 years in prison for publisher Jimmy Lai
Hong Kong democracy activist and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The guilty verdict for "collusion with foreign forces" and "sedition" was already handed down in December. Now the court in the Chinese special administrative region has issued the sentence. Lai has already served two years, and will have to serve 18 more, the judges ruled.
London must exert pressure
The Times calls for a strong response given that Lai is also British:
“Britain must now help the publisher and his jailed colleagues by building international pressure for their release. Britain will of course provide consular support for Mr Lai - if it is denied there must be repercussions for China's mega embassy. Targeted sanctions against Hong Kong police chiefs and officials should come into play. Hong Kong exiles in Britain, under pressure from Beijing, should be supported. ... Beijing must be taught there is a real cost to persecuting a British citizen.”
Effectively a life sentence
Lai will never leave prison alive, Corriere della Sera fears:
“Violations of the Chinese security laws can carry a sentence of life imprisonment, meaning that twenty years in prison is far from the maximum sentence. But this is cynical hypocrisy: the Hong Kong opposition activist turned 78 in December, and the nearly 2,000 days he has already spent in prison have ruined his health. He suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, his teeth are rotting, his family says he has lost ten kilos, he's now only a shadow of the vigorous man who marched in the big demonstrations in Hong Kong until 2019. If he behaves well, he could be released for good conduct in 2044, when he would be 96 years old. This sentence is tantamount to a death sentence in prison.”
China has achieved its goals
The prison sentence handed down to pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai showcases the ruthlessness of the Chinese leadership, writes Politiken:
“Xi Jinping wanted to control Hong Kong and suppress the demands for freedom and democracy. Well, he's done that. Now Jimmy Lai and Hong Kong are paying the price. And so are the Chinese in China who were inspired by the Hong Kong freedom movement. That is exactly what Xi's harsh regime wanted. ... The European External Action Service is now trying to secure Xi's goodwill by saying that the verdict has 'harmed Hong Kong's reputation'. Let's hope it has. But will Xi lose any sleep over it? Forget it. But don't forget Hong Kong. Don't forget Jimmy Lai.”
Democracies no longer have any clout
Appeasement is no way to deal with authoritarianism, Der Standard insists:
“Twenty years in prison. And yet the reactions remain muted - and above all ineffective. The Lai case is a prime example of the increasing powerlessness of democratic states in the face of authoritarian systems, not only in China. In the struggle for fundamental freedoms, the authoritarian regime in Beijing has long since prevailed. ... The case of the media tycoon shows once again that trying to appease authoritarian trends backfires. First the will and then the power to act is lacking. In the long term, this can only be disastrous.”