Tiananmen vigil brings to Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai 13 years of jail

-

Tiananmen vigil brings to Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai 13 years of jail

Jimmy Lai, in a handwritten letter, said he is willing to suffer the punishment if the court thinks that remembering those who died because of injustice is a crime

Participating in a vigil to mark the infamous Tiananmen massacre in China has brought to Hong Kong media mogul and activist Jimmy Lai 13 months of imprisonment. Lai, the founder of the now defunct ‘Apple Daily’, was found guilty of spurring others to take part in what the government termed an unlawful assembly.

The media tycoon, who is 74 years old, along with thousands of others had in June last, converged at the Tianenmen square where Beijing had effected a crackdown on protestors in 1989. The Chinese government obviously took offence, and went ahead to declare the conclave as unlawful assembly. Arrests followed and around 25 activists and politicians were charged for breaking the law.

Jimmy Lai and seven others sentenced to imprisonment

The trial had been on, and of late, Lai and seven other activists were pronounced guilty of inciting others towards unlawful assembly, and sentenced to prison.

Among the others who have been imprisoned are renowned journalist-turned-opposition politician Gwyneth Ho, lawyer Chow Hang Tung and many more. The court has awarded sentences that range between four-and-a-half months and 14 months, it has been reported.

Lai, who is already in prison after having been imprisoned in another charge, has got 13 years. The 74-year-old will be made to serve the latest sentence concurrently. As the trial progressed, Lai’s lawyers submitted before the court, of Judge Amanda Woodcock, a letter written by Lai from jail.

As per the handwritten letter, Lai told the court that he was willing to suffer the penalties of his decision. He went on to write that he can suffer the punishment if the court thinks that remembering those who died because of injustice is a crime. He added in his letter that he shall “share the burden and glory of those young men and women who shed their blood on June 4”.

https://twitter.com/hkfp/status/1470247116018954243

Tiananmen vigil commemorates victims of troop crackdown

The trial had earlier seen Lai arguing that he had not incited anyone to be part of the Tiananmen vigil and that he had lit candles in his personal capacity. But the court was not willing to accept the argument and stated that Lai’s act was defiance against the police.

It may be recalled that on June 4, 1989, Chinese troops ran over peaceful democracy protesters who had assembled at Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Troops had opened fire on protesters killing many. Though commemorating this incident is not allowed in mainland China, activists made it a point to do that every year until 2020 when a ban was brought in.





https://www.digpu.com/?p=125398

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lathi Charge: A legalised method of police brutality

-
Image
"Every blow on our bodies this afternoon is like a nail driven into the coffin of British imperialism." These were the precise words of Sher-e-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai when he got brutally " lathi-charged " by the law enforcers of Colonial India while he was protesting against the Simon Commission in October 1928.  Punjab Kesari Lajpat Rai eventually succumbed to his injuries, and his death gave off the spark for vengeance in the heart of numerous Indian revolutionaries. In December 1928, Shahid-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and his compatriot Shivam Rajguru assassinated the Lahore Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Saunders to avenge the murder of their mentor. "Lathi-Charge" has remained one of the most brutal and sensitive issues for Indians since the bygone days of the Indian National Movement. Thus, even after 75 years of liberation, India and her children continue to writhe under pain brought on by police brutality and paranoia. Both the Indian Penal...
Read more

Recruitment Scams and Paper Leaks in India: How the deserving youth of India is getting smothered under an obsolete system

-
Image
" India is an over populous country. " This statement is hardly news to anyone, but very few of us know that the average age of an Indian is just 29 years old. Hence, India is a fairly young country with a strong demographic dividend. However, the ambitions and dreams of millions of Indians lie stranded despite their ability and competence. Each new year brings fresh new hopes for millions of aspirants. These young people have expressed their strong will by deciding to dedicate the prime of their youth to preparing for numerous government examinations. In a country where social class divisions continue to be a notable phenomenon in determining one's future, Government jobs and recruitments offer the only genuine means for attaining an egalitarian society. Today, even this little scope for upliftment gets marred under the evils of Paper leaks and Recruitment scams. The problem of the youth, in essence, is the problem of the nation, and it is high time we illustrated the gr...
Read more

Supreme Court renders Modi-backed ED Chief's extension “illegal.” Amit Shah and the opposition enter into a war of words

-
Image
On July 11th, the Honourable Supreme Court went against the Modi Government's decision by annulling Enforcement Directorate Chief Sanjay Mishra's extension. The Supreme Court bench rendered Sanjay Mishra's tenure extension illegal because it went against their previous verdict. Sanjay Kumar Mishra's successive extensions got brought to the Court's attention through petitions moved by opposition leaders like Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jaya Thakur, Mahua Moitra, and others. The Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice B. R. Gavai held that Mishra could hold on to his office up to July 31st at most, during which the Modi Government must ensure a “smooth transition in the larger public interest."  The previous judgments by the Supreme Court on the matter Back in 2021, the Modi Government had, via the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, made amendments to the necessary laws to safeguard the extension of the tenure...
Read more