The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed opposition to the unfounded comments by so-called “human rights experts” after the Hong Kong SAR court had convicted Lai Chee-ying, in strict accordance with the law and evidence, of offences of endangering national security.

In a statement, the Government said these “human rights experts” had entirely no respect for the court’s independent judgment of the case, refused to acknowledge the evidence set out in the reasons for verdict, and refused to understand the court’s considerations and the reasons for verdict. Instead, they wantonly launched attacks, slandered and attacked the Hong Kong SAR Government, with despicable political manipulations to demand the immediate release of Lai Chee-ying, overriding the rule of law with politics and confounding right and wrong.

Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law, the Government stressed.

Moreover, it said the “experts” conflated the criminal acts in this case with freedom of speech and of the press, with the purpose of misleading the public and defaming Hong Kong, pointing out that the Lai Chee-ying case has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press at all, and remarked that the defendants, over the years, were using journalism as a guise to commit acts that brought harm to China and Hong Kong.

The Government further noted that the public trial of the Lai Chee-ying case revealed his hands-on control of Apple Daily’s editorial direction. Lai Chee-ying had repeatedly and personally colluded with foreign forces, begging for sanctions and hostile actions against the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government. The court also clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying’s only intent, whether pre or post-Hong Kong National Security Law, was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong SAR.

Anyone who vilifies the rule of law and human rights situation in Hong Kong using this case is fact-twisting and has no integrity at all, the Government stated.

It urged the so-called “human rights experts” should understand the facts clearly and stop making any unfounded criticisms.