The trial of jailed newspaperman Jimmy Lai begins Monday. He is formally accused of sedition, collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to produce and distribute seditious material. But the real case the authorities are making is that Hong Kong people would never push for democracy if the 76-year-old Mr. Lai and outside forces hadn’t infected them with this foreign idea.
On Wednesday China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called Mr. Lai the “mastermind” of protests aimed at destabilizing Hong Kong. She defended Hong Kong’s national security law imposed by China after a year of protests, under which Mr. Lai now faces a life sentence if convicted.
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On the 14th of January 2020, the people of Hong Kong put their government on trial in unprecedented fashion, in a protest that was unprecedented in size and impact.
Organized by the Civil Disobedience movement, over 1 million people gathered in central Hong Kong to protest a proposed extradition law that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The people, standing shoulder to shoulder, demanded the government drop the law, which was widely seen as a tool of oppression against political dissidents by Beijing. The massive turnout on the streets, coupled with support from the international community and numerous businesses, were key to the eventual success of the protesters; the extradition bill was formally scrapped by the government on the 15th of July, much to the delight of the people of Hong Kong.
The protests have also sent a clear signal to the government that the people of Hong Kong, a historically independent, vibrant and vibrant city, are united against any attempts to erode their rights; rights that include freedom of expression, an independent judiciary and the right to protest. The protests have set the tone for the upcoming elections, with the masses showing they will not shy away from seeking justice.
Protestors, meanwhile, are unified in their call for a full retraction of the bill, only wishing to live a life of justice. As it stands, this cherished right to justice for Hong Kong can only be realized if its citizens continue to fight for the freedoms the bill threatened. By taking the government to trial, the citizens of Hong Kong have achieved a milestone victory against erosion of rights and signaled to the world that justice still has a place in the once vibrant city.
