Hong Kong Political Prisoners – WSJ

The maximum sentence is life imprisonment and there is no guarantee that the Chinese authorities will not extradite Mr Lai to the mainland. A lower court infuriated Beijing last week when it granted bail and allowed Mr Lai to await his trial under house arrest as long as he refrained from conducting interviews, posting on social media or making public statements.

The prosecution cited Article 42 of the Security Act, which states that no bail may be granted “unless the judge has sufficient reason to believe that the suspected criminal or defendant will not continue to commit acts that endanger the national security “. Mr. Lai does not pose this threat. He has bravely chosen not to run away despite having a British passport, and China wants to set an example to stifle all criticism.

Meanwhile, on the mainland, a Shenzhen court handed down harsh sentences for ten Hong Kong residents who were arrested while fleeing by boat to Taiwan. Authorities would not let these frustrated refugees reunite with lawyers hired by their families and on Wednesday the court sentenced the ten to between seven months and three years, almost certainly passing them on to China’s opaque and notorious prison system.

Beijing now considers it a crime to try to escape persecution in Hong Kong. This is Soviet or North Korean behavior, and we expect Joe Biden and his officials to speak out clearly against it.