Li Zhiying was found not guilty for intimidating reporters, Hong Kong legal professionals urged the Department of Justice to appeal within 14 days
[Global Times Special Correspondent in Hong Kong, Ye Lan] The founder of One Media, Li Zhiying, was sentenced in the court on September 3 for criminal intimidation of journalists.
Although he was previously accused of prima facie evidence, he was still found not guilty and "released".
This aroused strong dissatisfaction among Hong Kong citizens.
Sing Tao Daily reported on the 3rd that Li Zhiying, 72, was accused of threatening a male reporter from Hong Kong media at a rally in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay in June 2017 with the intention of frightening him; If convicted, the maximum penalty is two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars.
When the reporter appeared in court earlier, he confessed that he was shooting the defendant from a distance during normal interview work that night, and was glared at by the defendant. Later, when he finished filming and cleaned up the machine, the defendant suddenly stepped forward and threatened "I'm really trying ( "Find someone to do you" has caused psychological trauma to the reporter and needs to seek help from a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist Huang Yiqian diagnosed that he was suffering from a depressive mood adjustment disorder, saying that the condition may cause the patient to commit suicide.
However, the magistrate Zhong Mingxin said in the ruling that the victim (referring to the reporter) was not accepted as an honest and reliable witness because he avoided questions many times in court and kept smiling during the incident and continued to work afterwards, including Shooting the defendant at close range, I don't believe that the really frightened people will react like this.
The court believed that the inference that was more in line with the current situation was that "Li Zhiying's behavior was caused by a moment of excitement and anger," and therefore ruled that he was not guilty of criminal intimidation.
Several organizations and citizens petitioned outside the court on the 3rd, believing that Li Zhiying deserves a heavy sentence.
The group "Voices of the Citizens" raised banners outside the court with the words "Foreign slaves and traitors Li Zhiying" and "Pigs and dogs are not as good as a heavy sentence of imprisonment."
Some citizens chanted the slogan "Li Zhiying is going to jail soon", criticizing him for running a media business, still intimidating reporters, and committing serious crimes.
Some Hong Kong media found that the defendant Tan Haoyu was suspected of assaulting the police in August last year, but was found not guilty in June this year. The magistrate was Zhong Mingxin.
Oriental Daily reported on the 3rd that, together with this criminal intimidation case, Li Zhiying has been judicially released and not prosecuted at least 4 times in recent years, including the case of secretly donating political black money, behind-the-scenes planning of illegal "Occupy Central."
In addition, after Li Zhiying was arrested on suspicion of violating Hong Kong's national security law in August, the stock price of its subsidiary Next Media immediately changed. It has been nearly a month since the incident, and the regulatory agency has not yet clearly initiated a thorough investigation.
Wang Guoxing, the convener of the "230,000 Supervision", questioned whether the court dared not convict the crime for fear of the United States and the United Kingdom supporting the "traitor running dogs." Lawyer Chow Ho-ding said on the 3rd that many citizens have doubts about the judgment in this case. Based on public interest, the Attorney General should study in detail whether there are legal loopholes in the judgment and appeal accordingly. Practicing barrister Gong Jingyi stated that the Department of Justice has absolute power to lodge an appeal. If you choose to lodge an appeal, it must generally be lodged in the form of case presentation within 14 days. Chen Weiqiang, a lecturer at the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, believes that Li Zhiying’s remarks are obviously threatening, and there are also videos taken as evidence. The Department of Justice should appeal the case to demonstrate justice, otherwise this case will become a model and will make more People commit crimes without fear.