British and American politicians made false comments on the verdict of the Li Zhiying case, and China refuted it!

　　[Global Times Reporter Chen Qingqing] On December 10, the District Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced that Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong rioter and founder of "Next Media", was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison for fraud and was not allowed to be a company manager for 8 years. At the same time, he was sentenced to a fine of 2 million Hong Kong dollars, which must be paid within 3 months, otherwise he will be imprisoned for one year.

　　According to Hong Kong media reports, Li Zhiying, who has been involved in lawsuits, has been detained for nearly two years. In addition to being involved in violations of the National Security Law and factory land fraud, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for organizing and participating in many illegal demonstrations or assemblies last year.

　　In response to the Li Zhiying case, Trevelyan, the British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Development, recently expressed "disappointment" with the verdict on social media, and claimed that Hong Kong continued to crack down on journalists and activists and eroded press freedom.

　　In this regard, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the UK responded on the 12th that we firmly oppose British officials pointing fingers at the rule of law in Hong Kong and defaming the human rights situation in Hong Kong.

The courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have ruled in accordance with the law, which is legitimate and lawful and allows no interference.

China fully protects Hong Kong residents' freedom of speech, press, and publication in accordance with the law. At the same time, no one can override the law in the name of freedom, and violations must be prosecuted.

China urges the UK to respect facts and the rule of law, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs.

　　In addition, U.S. State Department spokesperson Price tweeted on December 11 that the U.S. "condemned" the verdict in the Jimmy Lai case, arguing that the verdict was "neither fair nor fair."

　　On the 11th, the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong issued a statement saying that because of an ordinary criminal case involving individual anti-China disruptors who violated the law and committed crimes in Hong Kong, the US side jumped out impatiently and handed over to the Chinese government and Hong Kong indiscriminately. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government put on a label of "disrespect for freedom of the press" and made accusations, allowing the world to once again see Li Zhiying's identity as an "agent" and "pawn".

　　Liu Zhaojia, vice president of the National Association for Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times that the reaction of the United States was expected, but it would not have any effect. On the contrary, it confirmed the special relationship between Jimmy Lai and the United States and made Hong Kong people even more sympathetic. Being aware of the plots of external forces against Hong Kong has also made the anti-China chaos in Hong Kong realize that relying on external forces is harmful and not beneficial, and that external forces cannot protect them at all.

　　Zhu Jiajian, a Hong Kong special member of the National Association for Hong Kong and Macau Studies and executive director of the Hong Kong Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, told the Global Times reporter that Hong Kong has never been a place where foreign interference can be tolerated, and U.S. officials should not play the role of interfering in the judicial systems of other jurisdictions. character of.

(Chen Qingqing, Global Times)