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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Monday issued a strong condemnation of the Hong Kong Journalists Association and what it described as “anti-China foreign media,” accusing them of deliberately misleading the public and attempting to “whitewash” Jimmy Lai following his conviction.
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In a statement, a government spokesman said the organizations had ignored the court’s judgment, which was made strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, and instead sought to portray Lai as a symbol of democracy in an effort to obscure what the government described as his criminal conduct.
The spokesman said the Journalists Association lacked credibility, legitimacy, and representativeness, noting that it had refused to disclose the membership of its new executive committee. Such an organization, the spokesman added, had nonetheless claimed to represent the journalism sector, a stance the government said was “contemptible.”
According to the statement, the association and certain foreign media outlets had repeatedly conflated the criminal acts involved in the Jimmy Lai case with press freedom, and had used various cases to criticize and discredit Hong Kong’s human rights and rule-of-law situation.
The government said these actions were aimed at confusing the public and smearing the HKSAR, calling them “extremely despicable political manipulation” that warranted strong condemnation.
The spokesman said the misleading and inaccurate statements made by the association showed a lack of respect for the court’s independent adjudication based on facts and evidence. By refusing to acknowledge the detailed reasons for verdict and the evidence cited by the court, the critics had instead launched attacks against the HKSAR government, placing politics above the rule of law and distorting the truth, the statement said.
The government stressed that the court’s conviction of Lai involved “absolutely no political considerations.” It noted that the reasons for verdict spanned 855 pages and were fully open to public scrutiny, setting out in detail the court’s analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the basis for convicting Lai and the three related companies.
Reiterating that the Jimmy Lai case was “entirely unrelated to press freedom,” the spokesman said the defendants had for years used news reporting as a pretext to engage in acts that harmed the country and Hong Kong.
The government said the public trial revealed that Lai exercised close management and personal control over the editorial direction of Apple Daily, with a senior staff member describing the paper’s autonomy as akin to a “birdcage.”
The spokesman emphasized that Hong Kong residents enjoy freedoms of the press and speech guaranteed under the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. Both the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the statement said, clearly provide that safeguarding national security must respect and protect human rights, including freedoms of expression, the press, and publication.
As in other jurisdictions, journalists are subject to the law like all other citizens, the government said. Citing principles under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and relevant case law, the spokesman said the media and journalists bear “special duties and responsibilities,” including safeguarding national security and public order, and must adhere to responsible journalism based on accurate facts to enjoy legal protection.
The HKSAR government urged the Journalists Association and foreign media outlets concerned to “recognize the facts” and immediately abandon any actions that, in the government’s words, amounted to infiltration on behalf of external forces or attempts to “brainwash” young people in Hong Kong.
The government said it would not tolerate any conduct that incites the public to undermine national and public interests or endangers national security.
