47 h. ago Hong Kong activist wins appeal against riot conviction after trial judge’s error

A former Hong Kong political activist has won an appeal against his riot conviction due to the trial judge’s error in allowing prosecutors to substantially alter their allegations midway through proceedings. The Court of Appeal on Friday ordered the dismissal of Alvin Cheng Kam-mun’s conviction over his alleged role in the violence at Polytechnic University at the height of the 2019 anti-government protests. Cheng, who now runs a logistics company, was an assistant to former opposition lawmaker...

Events

1 week ago Jimmy Lai’s lawyers ask Hong Kong judges to discard testimony of ‘serial liar’

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s lawyers have asked Hong Kong judges hearing his national security trial to discard prosecutors’ evidence that the tabloid founder devised an anti-China lobbying strategy, saying the witness making the allegation was an “admitted serial liar”. Defence lawyers on Wednesday wrapped up their closing arguments at West Kowloon Court for the former media boss’s national security trial, in which Lai is contesting charges of conspiracy to print seditious articles and collude with...

Events

1 week ago Media misled Hong Kong public on extradition bill, judge in Jimmy Lai trial says

A judge hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has argued that the media misled Hong Kong residents into opposing a now-withdrawn extradition bill at the outset of the 2019 anti-government protests. A brief political debate ensued at West Kowloon Court upon the resumption of defence closing submissions in the trial of the Apple Daily founder on Tuesday, in which lawyers sought to justify the newspaper’s unfavourable portrayal of the proposed legal amendment as promoting public...

Events

1 week ago Jimmy Lai trial: judge questions defence’s understanding of Hong Kong security law

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 was necessary to decipher the Beijing-imposed legislation as they resumed presenting verbal arguments at West Kowloon Court for the close of...

Events

2 w. ago Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong judge dismisses freedom of expression defence

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 allegedly offensive statements took a turn on Friday when one of three presiding High Court judges hit out at lawyers’ “la-di-da” defence...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong judges, Jimmy Lai’s lawyers lock horns over ‘armchair punditry’

Lawyers for former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying have argued that his “armchair punditry” did not support prosecutors’ contention that he masterminded a conspiracy to instigate Western sanctions, prompting a judge to note that his comments could be interpreted as “disguised requests”. Lai’s lawyers and the three presiding judges hearing his national security trial found themselves entangled in a recurring debate on the interpretation of allegedly incriminating remarks made by the...

Society

2 w. ago Hong Kong court challenges Jimmy Lai’s rights claims in national security trial

Two Hong Kong judges hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial have expressed reservations about the defence characterising the former media boss’s alleged endeavours to trigger Western sanctions and foster hatred towards authorities as a legitimate exercise of fundamental rights. The 77-year-old Apple Daily tabloid founder’s legal team on Wednesday started presenting its closing arguments at West Kowloon Court after the prosecution made their final remarks in his case of...

Events