In the clip embedded below, Ileana Chan of Empire Watch interviews KJ Noh about the recent conviction of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, which Western outlets have framed as an attack on press freedom. KJ notes that Jimmy Lai was found guilty on two counts of collusion with foreign forces and one count of sedition under Hong Kong’s national security laws following a 156-day trial.
Discussing the political context of the trial, KJ explains that the 2019 Hong Kong riots evolved into an attempted “colour revolution”, backed by the US, and observes that Lai used his media influence and resources to coordinate and publicise this movement. KJ also observes that Lai actively lobbied US officials to apply sanctions against China.
As such, KJ argues that Lai received a fair trial within Hong Kong’s legal system and that his conviction was justified given his involvement in sedition.
The interview expands into a discussion of Hong Kong’s colonial past, with KJ pointing out that Hong Kong under British control was not the model of liberal democracy it is sometimes painted as, but rather an apartheid colony.
