Hong Kong Government Condemns Foreign Media Over Jimmy Lai Case, Accusing Them of Hyping Human Rights and Rule of Law Situation
The Hong Kong government today condemned certain foreign media outlets for "conflating Jimmy Lai's criminal acts with press freedom" and for "hyping up and slandering" the human rights and rule of law situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stating their aim is to confuse the public and defame the HKSAR. This follows Jimmy Lai's conviction under the National Security Law and subsequent 20-year prison sentence.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 13:26
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Qian, Hong Kong, 1st) The Hong Kong authorities today indirectly condemned some foreign media for "conflating Jimmy Lai's criminal acts with press freedom," and for hyping up and slandering the human rights and rule of law situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim of confusing the public and defaming the HKSAR.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government stated that the Special Administrative Region Government strongly condemns "some anti-China organizations and foreign media attempting to beautify the criminal acts of national security offender Jimmy Lai by issuing so-called press freedom indices and awarding him so-called prizes," and for slandering, smearing, and attacking the HKSAR.
The spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong courts adjudicate independently and are free from any interference; in the "Jimmy Lai case," the court reviewed as many as 2,220 pieces of evidence, over 80,000 pages of documents, and written submissions totaling over 1,000 pages from all parties, following a public hearing that lasted 156 days.
The spokesperson stated, "Some media organizations and self-proclaimed representatives of journalists continue to conflate the criminal acts in the 'Jimmy Lai case' with press freedom, and even use different cases to hype up and slander the human rights and rule of law situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim of confusing the public and defaming the HKSAR."
Jimmy Lai is the founder of Hong Kong's Next Digital Group. He was convicted of offenses under the National Security Law and was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the High Court on February 9. He decided not to appeal. (Editor: Chou Hui-Ying) 1150501
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(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Qian, Hong Kong, 1st) The Hong Kong authorities today indirectly condemned some foreign media for "conflating Jimmy Lai's criminal acts with press freedom," and for hyping up and slandering the human rights and rule of law situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim of confusing the public and defaming the HKSAR.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government stated that the Special Administrative Region Government strongly condemns "some anti-China organizations and foreign media attempting to beautify the criminal acts of national security offender Jimmy Lai by issuing so-called press freedom indices and awarding him so-called prizes," and for slandering, smearing, and attacking the HKSAR.
The spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong courts adjudicate independently and are free from any interference; in the "Jimmy Lai case," the court reviewed as many as 2,220 pieces of evidence, over 80,000 pages of documents, and written submissions totaling over 1,000 pages from all parties, following a public hearing that lasted 156 days.
The spokesperson stated, "Some media organizations and self-proclaimed representatives of journalists continue to conflate the criminal acts in the 'Jimmy Lai case' with press freedom, and even use different cases to hype up and slander the human rights and rule of law situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim of confusing the public and defaming the HKSAR."
Jimmy Lai is the founder of Hong Kong's Next Digital Group. He was convicted of offenses under the National Security Law and was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the High Court on February 9. He decided not to appeal. (Editor: Chou Hui-Ying) 1150501
Choose to stand with facts; every donation you make helps protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
Keywords: