Political prisoner trial developments in Hong Kong this week (1 April - 5 April)
Trial of Jimmy Lai
The long-anticipated trial of Jimmy Lai opened on Monday 18 December 2023. Jimmy Lai is a British citizen who founded the now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily, the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong. Mr Lai faces three charges under Hong Kong’s Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison, and one charge for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” under the colonial-era sedition law. A long-time critic of the Chinese Communist Party, Mr Lai is one of the most high-profile pro-democracy activists who have been arrested under the NSL.
Andy Li, who faced alleged torture, continues to testify against Jimmy Lai
Key prosecution witness Andy Li continued to testify in the trial of Jimmy Lai. The prosecutor questioned Mr Li’s international lobbying activities, including a meeting in 2020 between Mr Li and Japanese Members of Parliament and an email exchange between Mr Li and Takashi Takai MP regarding the development of a Japanese version of the ‘Human Rights and Democracy Bill’.
The prosecutor also questioned Mr Li’s involvement with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which is a network of parliamentarians around the world on China-related issues. Mr Li shared that Luke de Pulford, Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and a member of Hong Kong Watch’s advisory group, asked him for assistance in the early stages of IPAC, including setting up the IPAC website and reaching out to Japanese parliamentarians to join. Mr Li claimed that Mr de Pulford contacted Jimmy Lai regarding media support for IPAC.
Mr Li discussed the creation of a group chat between ‘Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.’ (SWHK) and IPAC which had intentions “to report on the National Security Law in a negative light”. Mr Li also mentioned his campaign work for various countries to suspend their extradition agreements with Hong Kong following the imposition of the National Security Law.
When Andy Li took the stand on 13 March 2024, there was an international outcry following claims that evidence from Mr Li had been obtained through torture while in a Shenzhen prison from 2020 to 2021, including being allegedly subject to restraint chairs (tiger chairs) to force confessions. On 31 January 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture Dr Alice Jill Edwards wrote to the Government of the People’s Republic of China to address these claims, stating, “I am deeply concerned that evidence that is expected to be presented against Jimmy Lai imminently, may have been obtained as a result of torture or other unlawful treatment. An investigation into these allegations must be conducted immediately, before any evidence is admitted into these present proceedings.”
Andy Li is a pro-democracy activist who tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat after the imposition of the National Security Law in August 2020, but was intercepted by the authorities and taken to Mainland China. Following trials in Mainland China, Mr Li was convicted under the National Security Law and returned to Hong Kong. Mr Li is expected to receive his sentence following the conclusion of Mr Lai’s trial.
Other Developments
Development 1: Young Hong Kong activists open up about abuse in Hong Kong prisons
Trigger warning: This update mentions multiple forms of trauma, including sexual and physical assault
This week, young Hong Kong activists told Radio Free Asia about sexual and physical abuses occurring at Hong Kong juvenile offender facilities.
On 19 January, a Correctional Services Officer and four young inmates were remanded in custody for causing serious bodily harm to an 18-year-old inmate. The victim required surgery from anal laceration and rectal perforation.
Reports of this incident led to another young activist who previously spent time at the same juvenile detention facility to speak out about an unreported case at the facility, which involved sexual abuse, rape and anal assault perpetrated on a 15-year-old male. The activist reported that the Correctional Services officers did not contact the police until the boy needed to be hospitalised for persistent bleeding. He also spoke to the wider prison culture of bullying, sexual and physical assault that is carried out not only by prison guards but designated ‘B Boys’ who have “special privileges to discipline fellow inmates”.
Hong Kong continues to prosecute large numbers of young activists for alleged offences under the National Security Law. The Hong Kong Correctional Services Department reported that the juvenile prison population was around 450 at the end of 2022. Hong Kong Watch remains seriously concerned about both juvenile and adult prison conditions in Hong Kong.
香港政治犯審訊每週簡報（2024年4月1日至5日）
黎智英案
黎智英的《國家安全法》案件經數度延期後，終於在2023年12月18日開審。黎智英是英國公民，創辦了香港最大型民主派報紙《蘋果日報》，《蘋果》現已停運。他被控「串謀勾結外國勢力」等三項《國安法》控罪，最高可判處終身監禁，另被控一項殖民時代煽動法下的「串謀發布煽動刊物」罪。黎智英長期批評中國共產黨，是因《國安法》被捕而備受關注的社運人士之一。
疑遭嚴刑逼供李宇軒繼續出庭作供
關鍵控方證人、「12港人」之一李宇軒繼續出庭指證黎智英。控方問到李在「日本線」的國際遊說工作，包括2020年與時任日本國會議員菅野志櫻里會面，以及透過電郵聯絡時任國會議員高井崇志，爭取支持菅野志櫻里提出的《人權與民主法案》（Human Rights and Democracy Bill）。
另外，控方問到「對華政策跨國議會聯盟」（Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China，簡稱IPAC）的創立過程。李供稱應創辦人之一裴倫德（Luke de Pulford）邀請，協助IPAC建立網站並遊說日本國會議員加入。李稱裴倫德曾就IPAC傳媒支援事宜聯絡黎智英。
早前有指李於2020年至2021年在深圳監獄拘留期間被嚴刑逼供，因此他首日出庭作供時引起公眾強烈抗議。
其他事件
事件1：香港年輕社運人士憶述獄中少年犯被虐待事件 香港監察嚴正關注香港監獄狀況