Sebastien Lai’s first reminiscence of his father’s pro-democracy activism was at a vigil for victims of the Tiananmen Sq. bloodbath when he was a baby.
He remembers cupping a candle between his fingers and standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with others who, like his father, had been spurred into activism by the . Yearly they’d collect to commemorate the day Chinese language troopers opened hearth on protesters congregating in Beijing, demanding political and financial reforms.
“Dad left Communist China on a ship as a stowaway when he was 12 years previous,” Lai tells SBS Information.
“He knew nobody in Hong Kong when he arrived however, as he tells it — despite the fact that he had nothing — it was one of many happiest moments of his life as a result of he knew that he had a future as a result of Hong Kong had the freedoms that China didn’t.
“He knew that it was vital to defend it … that’s what he was at all times combating for.”
Jimmy Lai (proper) attends a vigil in 2015 to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Sq. Crackdown. Credit score: Lucas Schifres/Getty Photos
Over the previous three a long time, Jimmy Lai’s title has turn into synonymous with Hong Kong’s battle for democracy: his newspaper Apple Day by day, which was launched within the mid-90s, morphed from a neighborhood tabloid to what was extensively thought-about a daring pro-democracy voice and critic of Beijing — till it was shut down by authorities in 2021.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, was in 1997. The civil liberties and freedoms loved within the particular administrative area have been to be preserved for at the very least 50 years underneath the “one nation, two programs” framework, nonetheless, Beijing has made rising efforts to manage Hong Kong’s political system and silence dissent within the lower than 30 years since.
Jimmy Lai escaped Maoist China as a stowaway on a fishing boat. Credit score: South China Morning Publish/Getty
Lai has skilled China’s encroachment first-hand.
He was first arrested through the Umbrella Motion of 2014 when tens of hundreds of individuals took to the streets and staged a months-long sit-in in protest in opposition to the Chinese language authorities’s plan to limit elections.
“I nonetheless keep in mind in 2014 once they began utilizing tear fuel and pepper spray, therefore the umbrellas [for protection],” his son remembers.
“Dad was at all times on the entrance line, he would inform folks to be peaceable … he was not a mastermind, he was somebody who at all times advocated for peace.
“He did every thing within the final 30 years just because it was the fitting factor to do, and there have been no nefarious advantages except you name democracy a nefarious profit.”
Whereas Jimmy Lai was later launched, it could not be the final time he confronted imprisonment for his activism.
A decade for the reason that Umbrella Motion
Alex Chow was a pupil in Hong Kong in 2014 and the previous secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of College students, often known as one of many leaders of the Umbrella Motion.
Alex Chow (centre) with different pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong Worldwide Airport earlier than a flight to Beijing to fulfill with Chinese language authorities in November 2014. Supply: AFP / Alex Ogle/through Getty Photos
“The motivation was very easy for me as a university pupil on the time. It’s primary human rights; it’s primary political rights,” Chow says.
Chow and hundreds of fellow college students have been staked out for days on finish, calling for common suffrage — permitting Hong Kongers to vote for each Hong Kong’s chief govt and its legislative council — which had been promised underneath the Hong Kong Primary Regulation (governing legal guidelines that got here into impact after the 1997 handover).
The primary-ever common suffrage election for chief govt was because of be held in 2017, however in mid-2014, Beijing issued a decree that candidates have to be authorised by the Chinese language Communist Get together and endorsed by the present chief govt election committee — negating real common suffrage.
“Through the Umbrella Motion [and] through the occupation, we noticed loads of abnormal folks — Hong Kongers younger and previous — actually making an allowance for town’s future.
“[They were] daring to participate within the occupation, desirous about how their particular person and collective contribution would possibly actually change the trajectory of town.”
It’s primary human rights, it’s primary political rights.
Alex Chow
The 79-day occupation formally ended on 15 December 2014.
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of its starting. Chow now lives in exile within the US and is the chair of the Board of the Hong Kong Democracy Council.
“I feel 10 years on, the best way we describe Hong Kongers is ‘diaspora’, ‘exile’, ‘homeless folks’, ‘stateless folks’,” he says.
“The expertise of being in exile … is a extremely torturing course of: it’s a psychological shock, a psychological shock, a social shock.
“I actually hope that Hong Kongers keep resilient, keep dedicated … I hope ultimately Hong Kongers would be capable of return to their homeland.”
Professional-democracy protesters in Hong Kong in November 2014. Supply: NurPhoto / Getty Photos
Brendan Clift, a lecturer at The College of Melbourne’s Regulation College, was tutoring in Hong Kong in 2014 and says it was throughout this time he witnessed the “greatest aspect of Hong Kong”.
“The Umbrella Motion might not have helped Hong Kong to realize democracy, but it surely was a human coming collectively of huge significance to that group,” he tells SBS Information.
Within the final 20 years, Clift says Hong Kong’s civil liberties have been eroded.
“Hong Kong has a semblance of democracy as we speak, however it’s what we would name a pretend democracy,” he says.
“It has a legislative council, a parliament, [which] has 90 seats, however solely 20 of these seats are up for direct election by the folks. And the candidates for these seats are vetted upfront by the Hong Kong authorities.”
Police hearth tear fuel on pro-democracy demonstrators close to the Hong Kong authorities headquarters in September 2014,
In an announcement to SBS Cantonese, the Hong Kong authorities mentioned the protests had: “intensive, severe and substantial impacts on transportation, emergency rescue, authorities operations, residents’ day by day lives, and varied financial actions.”
“The SAR Authorities strongly condemns anybody who continues to glorify and honour these irresponsible and unlawful behaviours.”
A ‘major goal’
Whereas the Umbrella Motion didn’t obtain its aim of defending suffrage, many credit score it as being the inspiration behind the in 2019 and 2020, the place Hong Kongers demonstrated in opposition to a proposed extradition invoice from the particular autonomous area to mainland China.
In accordance with protest organisers, at the very least 1.7 million folks participated — roughly 1 / 4 of Hong Kong’s inhabitants. Jimmy Lai was amongst them.
Their protests have been met with sweeping nationwide safety legal guidelines, first imposed by Beijing in 2020 and adopted by Hong Kong’s implementation of Article 23 this 12 months, a transfer the federal government mentioned was wanted to advertise stability.
The regulation covers crimes resembling treason, sedition, espionage, theft of state secrets and techniques, and exterior interference and permits for trials to be held behind closed doorways.
Hong Kongers once more took to the streets in protest in 2019 and 2020. Supply: NurPhoto / NurPhoto/Getty Photos
“He [Jimmy Lai] was at all times one of many major targets,” his son Sebastien says.
“Our home has been firebombed; there have been individuals who have been following him for years … he had a number of threats [and] companies have been requested to boycott Apple Day by day.
“When the nationwide safety regulation got here down, everybody knew he can be one of many most important targets and everybody round him instructed him to depart.
“He had a British passport … however his journalists and loads of the individuals who campaigned with him most likely wouldn’t be capable of [leave], so he stayed and acted as a lightning rod. That’s what he’s being punished for now.”
In accordance with Clift, most prosecutions by authorities have centered on high-profile people.
“The Beijing and Hong Kong governments have had a sample of figuring out folks they see as figureheads and concentrating on them to ship a sign,” he tells SBS Information.
“Benny Tai, the well-known pro-democracy educational and Jimmy Lai, the media mogul — they have been each concerned from an early stage within the Umbrella Motion and so they continued to be vital members in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy motion.
“However these have been grassroots actions: they did not actually have figureheads. They have been made up of the hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers who have been prepared to take to the streets.”
He stayed and acted as a lightning rod. That’s what he’s being punished for now.
Sebastien Lai, on his father Jimmy Lai
Jimmy Lai was arrested in August 2020 and has since been held in a maximum-security jail in Hong Kong on numerous fees underneath the nationwide safety regulation.
“They’re drawing out his trial and it’s inhumane as a result of, at nearly 77, he’s being saved in a cell in solitary confinement for greater than 1300 days; he doesn’t get any pure mild,” Sebastien says.
“Hong Kong is like Australia, it may very well be as much as 30-40 levels Celsius: he’s baking in there some days.
“They’re slowly however certainly killing him.”
‘The weaponisation of regulation’
In accordance with estimates by the Hong Kong Democracy Council, there are presently greater than 1,800 political prisoners in Hong Kong.
Jimmy Lai’s worldwide authorized crew led by Caoilfhionn Gallagher— a barrister at Doughty Road Chambers in London — has filed an pressing attraction to the United Nations Particular Rapporteur on Torture.
Jimmy Lai (centre) leaving Hong Kong’s Court docket of Remaining Enchantment on 9 February 2021. Supply: AAP / Kin Cheung/AP
“Jimmy Lai, make no mistake, is in jail presently for conspiracy to commit journalism and for working a newspaper [that] had an unashamedly pro-democratic, pro-human rights, anti-corruption editorial line from the outset,” Gallagher says.
“What we’re now seeing over the past 5 years has been the weaponisation of regulation to attempt to silence him; to close down his newspaper, which they’ve succeeded in doing.
“We’re frightened that they are now doing all they’ll to interrupt him, the person too.”
In response to SBS’s enquiry, the Hong Kong authorities mentioned: “Because the authorized proceedings involving Jimmy Lai are nonetheless ongoing, it’s inappropriate for anybody to touch upon the case.”
A treasured {photograph} of a younger Sebastien Lai and his father, Jimmy. Supply: AFP / I-hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Photos
A report launched final week by the United Nations secretary-general to the Human Rights Council additionally raised issues for Jimmy Lai’s son and authorized crew, stating they’ve been reportedly topic to ongoing reprisals and harassment, together with dying and rape threats by recognized and unknown actors.
“We have been subjected to threats in state-run media,” Gallagher tells SBS Information.
“I have been known as an enemy of the folks in state-run media in formal press releases launched by the Hong Kong authorities. They’ve known as us criminals for bringing a human rights case to UN our bodies.
“In the event that they’re prepared to do that in opposition to the legal professionals, simply take into consideration how a lot they wish to silence our consumer … we don’t wish to see Jimmy Lai die behind bars for being a journalist, and the world has obtained to step up and act earlier than it is too late.”
As for Sebastien, he has not seen his father for 4 years however says he holds on to hope that they are going to at some point be reunited.
“In these conditions the place your life is in danger, do you select the comfy highway or do you select what is true?” Lai asks.
“[Dad] knew he had a accountability to his folks and he carried it out … I’m immensely proud that he did that; he did what was proper during.”
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Cantonese.
