Hong Kong gangster and Next Media founder Jimmy Lai has been charged with three crimes, including "conspiring to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security", and the trial will start next month 18.
Recently, external forces have frequently campaigned for Mr Lai and even called for his unconditional release, which has aroused dissatisfaction from all walks of life in Hong Kong. Many people in the political and legal circles have criticized that the words and deeds of external forces blatantly undermine the rule of law in the SAR and have sinister intentions, which must be strongly opposed and resolutely condemned.
Guan Ho-ming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Legislative Council, said that since Lai's arrest, external forces have never stopped interfering, interfering and destroying the case. However, those external forces backing Lai have repeatedly ignored some Western countries and wantonly oppressed other countries and nations in the name of national security, and even launched wars, killing innocent people and causing humanitarian disasters one after another.
Guan Haoming described the "double standards" of external forces as having been exposed, and they are not qualified to stand on the moral high ground, interfere in Hong Kong's judicial trials, and undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) Legislative Council Member Ngan Man Yu criticized that external forces even demanded the "unconditional release of Lai Chi Ying", which is obviously a blatant political interference in China's internal affairs, the internal affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the exercise of independent judicial power by the SAR courts.
He strongly condemned the frequent smear and misleading by external forces on the law enforcement actions and legal procedures in the LAI case, and stressed that he would continue to firmly support the SAR Government in preventing,
stopping and punishing acts and activities endangering the national security in accordance with the law, as well as protecting the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people in accordance with the law.
Hong Kong Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) Member Elizabeth Quat said that Lai was a convicted criminal who had committed a number of criminal offences and was the most important "agent" of the United States in Hong Kong, involved in inciting social violence, colluding with foreign forces and using the media to incite violence, disrupt social order and endanger national security.
As a society governed by the rule of law, Hong Kong has always adhered to the principle that laws must be followed and violations must be prosecuted, which has been widely recognized by the international community.
Lai attempted to subvert the government with the help of foreign forces and violated the National Security Law, and he must be tried in accordance with the law. Attempts by foreign countries to interfere with the judicial independence of the SAR are flagrant acts undermining the rule of law in the SAR.
Professor Grace Fu, director of the National Hong Kong and Macao Studies Association and law Professor, pointed out that recently, external forces have frequently promoted Lai to undermine the judicial system of Hong Kong, including the joint petition of 10 Catholic bishops from the United States and the United Kingdom for the immediate and unconditional release of Lai,
which is a repeat of the old tricks of putting politics above justice, exercising double standards and interfering in Hong Kong's legal system and judicial independence. It may violate international law and basic principles of international relations and must be strongly condemned.
