How ugly is this going to get?

The next 80 days look likely to put Hong Kong’s image through the shredder.

A succinct description of Jimmy Lai’s trial …

A hand-picked judge, no jury, denied his first choice of lawyer, & Beijing already suggested he’s guilty. Faces life in jail.

Also, ultra-high-level security around the courthouse…

Remember that the theatrics — the marathon trial, the 1000 police, the bomb truck, CSP Steve Li attending court etc — are themselves a political message: They inflate Lai’s culpability.

More on the scene outside the court here.

The first day starts with his lawyers arguing that the sedition charge (not the more serious NatSec one) should be discarded on statute-of-limitations grounds.

The Hong Kong government feels the need to stress that…

…all cases, including that of Lai Chee-ying, concerning the National Security Law are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that as the legal proceedings involving Lai Chee-ying are still ongoing, it is inappropriate for any person to comment on the details of the case.

Global Times  (which is not just ‘any person’) weighs in on the trial…

…[against] which some Western media and political figures have launched a public opinion campaign by badmouthing the city’s rule of law and the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. Legal experts said begging external forces to support Lai and undermining the rule of law in Hong Kong are destined to be futile. 

These instigations of the Western media, politicians and organizations openly calling for the release of Lai and criticizing the rule of law in Hong Kong are extremely dangerous and irresponsible, some experts said. While some Western politicians and media hail Lai as “an anti-government hero” and “a pro-democracy fighter,” such campaign of smearing Hong Kong will also allow local residents to see clearly the true nature of Lai as a proxy for Western interests, they noted. 

The Washington Post reports on the conditions in which the ‘HK 12’ were held in Shenzhen. The 12 include Andy Li described by HKDC as…

…defendant-turned-prosecution-witness in JimmyLai’s trial … mistreated while in Chinese prison after he was caught trying to escape HongKong … remanded in an HK psychiatric facility, & has no independent legal representation.

As the WaPo reporter puts it…

Andy Li is one of the listed prosecution witnesses in Lai’s case — but our investigation questions whether his testimony and evidence can be seen as reliable, given the circumstances in which it was derived

From the paywalled WaPo piece…

Li, a 33-year-old gifted programmer who during the protests became a significant player in international lobbying and fundraising efforts, has already pleaded guilty under the national security law for his own role in the democracy movement, and he is expected to tie Lai to an alleged foreign conspiracy against Hong Kong and China.

But Li was mistreated while in Chinese custody, a year-long Washington Post examination of the case found, raising questions about whether his testimony will be voluntary and reliable. The Post’s reporting reveals previously undisclosed details about the coercive treatment of the 12 escapees, especially Li, by Chinese authorities, and Li’s reemergence and continued detention in Hong Kong after seven months of isolation in China.

…For the first three months, according to several people familiar with the conditions, they were confined to these solitary cells, where two guards on shift took turns to watch them around-the-clock, even as they went to the bathroom. The lights were always on. During the day, they were forced to sit cross-legged on a concrete stool until their joints grew sore, except during mealtimes or interrogations. Walking around the cell was generally not permitted. At night, they were awakened at random hours, for no apparent reason. They were never allowed outside.

…Most of the 12 were not physically abused, but seven people familiar with conditions at the center said screaming could “consistently” be heard coming from one cell: Li’s.

“It is likely that what [Li] faced inside was 10 times worse” than the rest, one person said.

Kevin Carrico’s advice…

Please, be a decent human being and remember that this is a show trial meant to imprison a critic of the regime, possibly for life.

Don’t take the charges and arguments seriously, don’t try to make sense of things –  it’s a show trial