Foreign judges urged to quit Hong Kong by mogul's son

The son of media mogul Jimmy Lai has called on all foreign judges to leave Hong Kong’s judicial system, which he claimed pressures them to go along with Beijing’s clampdown on “prodemocracy protesters”.

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

Sebastien Lai has been advocating for the release of his 76-yearold father, who has been accused of colluding with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

If found guilty, the founder of the now defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is facing possible life in prison.

His case has sparked an international outcry and is widely seen as a test of Hong Kong’s judicial independence. The trial, conducted by three judges designated under the national security law, began on 18 December, three years after Lai was arrested, and has been slower than expected.

Hong Kong has imprisoned more than 1,800 people “for their pro-democracy protesting”, Mr Lai said at the press club in Canberra, Australia, while rallying support for his father on the 27th anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China.