Jimmy Lai's mitigation plea procedure begins
發佈日期: 2026-01-12 21:18
TVB News
A Hong Kong court on Monday began hearing the mitigation plea of onetime media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
The court convicted Lai of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces, and conspiracy to publish seditious articles in December.
The hearing was held at West Kowloon Law Courts this morning.
The three-judge panel: Alex Lee, Esther Toh and Susana Maria D'Almada Remedios will hear mitigation arguments for Jimmy Lai along with the eight others convicted over the four-day proceedings.
Six of the eight convicted are Lai's former Apple Daily colleagues, and the other two are paralegal Chan Tsz-wah and activist Andy Li.
This was the first time that Lai and the others appeared in court together.
For Jimmy Lai's mitigation, the prosecution's Anthony Chau said the ex-media tycoon's health condition was stable according to his medical reports, despite Lai suffering from issues including hearing problems.
Speaking of Lai's solitary confinement, Chau said it had always been his request to be placed separately from other inmates because of his fear of being harassed.
Lai's defence lawyer Robert Pang argued that the solitary confinement is an "additional burden" and a "punishment" even if it's a voluntary decision because it's not "normal" to isolate someone for more than 72 hours.
Judge Alex Lee said that Lai could end the treatment if he wanted to. Pang said Lai's prison life is harsher than others because of his age.
For Chan Tsz-wah, his defence proposed a sentencing reduction by 50 percent or more, with a starting point between 10 and 15 years.
The barrister said Chan did not apply violence throughout the conspiracy, and that he had assisted the police with the investigation by providing previously unknown information, such as his meeting in Taiwan.
The defence described Chan as a "messenger" for Lai, who was the mastermind of the conspiracy.
She then argued that Chan should receive a sentence more lenient than Lai and the others.
Andy Li's defence proposed 10-year imprisonment as the appropriate starting point.
Citing that Li was in "full cooperation with the law enforcement and testified against Lai in court," the defence submitted a 15 percent discount for his sentence.
The court also heard the mitigation plea for Apple Daily's former CEO Cheung Kim-hung, whose defence said a 55 percent discount in sentencing would be reasonable.
The defence said Cheung was a "minor participant" in the conspiracy and that he had attempted to reduce the harmful effects of the act by persuading the others to withdraw.
Judge Alex Lee said it was a bit "unrealistic" for the defence to submit such a plea, but he would not stop the barrister from doing so.
Another Judge Esther Toh said the court had to see examples of Cheung's actions to prove his attempts to withdraw.
The court is adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
