Hong Kong has hit back at the European Commission’s annual report, which claimed the city’s autonomy and freedoms were in “continued erosion”, citing the enactment of domestic national security legislation and the high-profile trials of opposition activists. The Hong Kong government on Tuesday evening said it “strongly disapproved of and rejected the unfounded and biased…
The familiar signs of hustle and bustle in Hong Kong are back. Mainland tourists are thronging major attractions, from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade to Disneyland Resort. Foreign tourists are returning in noticeable numbers, adding a cosmopolitan flair. Overseas business travellers are back in droves, too, as evidenced by the back-to-back exhibitions at the Hong…
A judge has argued that an interpretation of Hong Kong’s national security law by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s defence team may not reflect Beijing’s true intentions, after the former media boss’ lawyers argued that the legislation did not penalise calls for sanctions against select Chinese officials. Lai’s lawyers on Monday argued that a strict literal approach…
A Hong Kong judge hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has dismissed the defence’s contention that the former media boss was just exercising his right to freedom of expression with his anti-China comments, citing crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests in the West. A protracted debate at West Kowloon Court on the proper reading of Lai’s…
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court began hearing final arguments Monday in the landmark national security trial of former pro-democracy newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, who could be sentenced to up to life in prison if he is convicted. Lai, 77, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Beijing following…
Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has been adjourned until Monday after judges expressed concerns about his heart issue that arose shortly before closing submission proceedings. The Apple Daily founder’s health condition was brought to the attention of West Kowloon Court on Friday, just as the three presiding High Court…
The Hong Kong government has strongly condemned “smear campaigns” by foreign forces and anti-China media companies in relation to the national security law trial of former newspaper boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who returns to court on Thursday. Prosecutors and defence lawyers will make their final oral arguments in his high-profile trial. The closing submissions procedure…
The Hong Kong government has strongly condemned “smear campaigns” by foreign forces and anti-China media companies in relation to the national security law trial of former newspaper boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who returns to court on Thursday. Prosecutors and defence lawyers will make their final oral arguments in his high-profile trial. The closing submissions procedure…
Uncertainty surrounding escalating US-China tensions and a “relatively muted society” may have prompted Hong Kong authorities to propose new subsidiary legislation for safeguarding national security, observers have said, although they dismissed speculation the law targets ongoing high-profile cases. In addition, a legal scholar called for more procedural clarity when introducing bills, particularly in circumstances when…
Hong Kong ranked 37th out of 73 places in safety for journalists according to a new global index, outperforming South Korea and Indonesia but falling below Singapore and other European counterparts. The Global Index on Journalists’ Safety, published on Thursday, also saw the city score better than the United States when it came to the…