Date of plea: 2021-12-13
Mitigation plea excerpt
If commemorating those who died because of injustice is a crime, then inflict on me that crime and let me suffer the punishment, so I may share the burden and glory of those young men and women who shed their blood on June 4th.
Short bio
Jimmy Lai was born on 8 December 1947. He escaped from the mainland at the age of 12, and became a prominent entrepreneur in Hong Kong, first in the manufacturing business and later in media. In 1990 he founded Next Media, who published the major opposition newspaper Apple Daily. He has been convicted three times in relation to pro-democracy protests, and will serve a combined sentence of 20 months in prison. Her is also charged with National Security crimes, and may in reality be facing a much longer time behind bars, possibly for life. Being a leading advocate for democracy Lai has twice been listed by Beijing as a member of Hong Kong’s “gang of four”.
Mitigation plea
I did not join the June 4th vigil in Victoria Park. I lit a candle light in front of reporters to remind the world to remember and commemorate those young men and women, who 31 years ago in Tianmen Square put Truth, Justice and Goodness above their lives and died for them.
If commemorating those who died because of injustice is a crime, then inflict on me that crime and let me suffer the punishment of the crime, so I may share the burden and glory of those young men and women who shed their blood on June 4th to proclaim Truth, Justice and Goodness.
Lord, remember those who shed their blood, but do not remember their cruelty. Remember the fruits those young men and women have borne, because of what they did. And grant, Lord, that the fruits of those young men and women have borne may be their redemption. May the power of Love of the meek prevail over the power of destruction of the strong.
Hong Kong through a northern lens 