Hong Kong's Lai to plead guilty in protest case; assets frozen

[HONG KONG] Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, veteran activist Albert Ho and eight others will plead guilty in a protest-related trial beginning on Monday, as authorities in the Asian financial hub continue to prosecute prominent pro-democracy figures.

Mr Lai, Mr Ho and the rest will enter the plea related to organising and attending an unauthorised assembly to mark China's National Day on Oct 1, 2019, Mr Ho said in a brief interview on Sunday. "We will be pleading guilty," he said.

A representative for Mr Lai could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mr Lai, 73, and the founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, is facing a flurry of other cases. He was sentenced in April to 14 months in prison over two separate unauthorised protests in August of 2019, when anti-government protests rocked the former British colony.

He also faces charges under the national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong last year in response to the unrest.

Late on Friday, Hong Kong authorities froze some of the media tycoon's assets, citing the security law. Secretary for Security John Lee issued notices to freeze all shares of his Next Digital Ltd, as well as the local bank accounts of three companies owned by him, the government said in a statement. Shares of Next Digital have been suspended from trading on Hong Kong's exchange.

The move marks the first time local authorities have used the security law to freeze the shares of a major investor in a listed company, a step that could spook investors in the financial center. More than 40 per cent of members surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said they might leave the city, highlighting the business community's concern over the security law and the government's handling of Covid-19.

Chinese state-run broadcaster China Central Television said in a commentary on Sunday that "doomsday is getting closer and closer" for Next Digital and Apple Daily.

"The end is finally here after this 'rotten apple' plagued Hong Kong for 20 years," CCTV said. "It can no longer hide under the umbrella of 'press freedom' and do dirty tricks like incitement and brainwashing." Emily Lau, a former lawmaker and ex-chairwoman of the Democratic Party, called the freezing of Mr Lai's assets very alarming and said the government should explain the move.

"There could be further arrests of people and maybe closing down of newspapers," she said. "This is really white terror." Since protests ended amid Covid-19 distancing restrictions, Hong Kong authorities have arrested and prosecuted dozens of the city's most prominent opposition figures - from pro-democracy politicians and students to lawyers and social workers.

Other activists facing trial on Monday include former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan. Mr Ho, who was given a suspended sentence in one of the earlier protest cases alongside Lai, said he's appealing his sentence. Mr Lai is also appealing his case, the South China Morning Post has previously reported.

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