The ruling by the Court of Final Appeal comes amid heavy pressure from the Chinese government and state media to keep Lai in custody, arguing that Lai's crimes against the state are particularly egregious and that he possesses the means to flee the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city.
Lai, an outspoken advocate for democracy in Hong Kong, had been charged with fraud on Dec. 3 for allegedly violating the lease terms for office space for his media company, Next Digital. He was later charged again on Dec. 12 under the national security law, on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security.
As at his previous hearings, Lai stepped from the prison van into an inflatable tunnel connecting with the court entrance, in an apparent attempt to minimize his exposure to the numerous journalists waiting outside. The national security law was imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing after the city's local legislature was unable to overcome local opposition to its enactment. Backers say it has returned calm to the city's streets while opponents consider it a betrayal of China's pledge to maintain the city's legal, civil and human rights for 50 years after its handover from British colonial rule in 1997.
The CCP’s Security Law is a weapon specifically designed to deal with democracy fighters. This law overrides other laws and is premised on not being released on bail. This denies the 'presumption of innocence' in the common law, thus depriving the accused of the right to bail😩
It proves once again that the rule of law in HongKong has been fully controlled by CCP, and the human rights of HongKongers no longer have any basic protection. These judges and HKPolice who enforce the NSL absolutely need to attach responsibility. They let HK become hell
The court explained NSL is not allowed to bail by default, it is clearly violating the one country two system and the Sino-British joint declaration.
Fair game, China's national interest obviously comes first. China is not going to play by other people's play book - those days are forever gone. China is now a lot more confident, and defines its own rules.
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