Media tycoon Jimmy Lai not allowed to leave Hong Kong as part of his bail condition related to intimidation case at 2017 vigil
- Lai has pleaded not guilty to a charge of threatening to injure a man during the June 4 vigil in Victoria Park
- Along with two former lawmakers, he also faces allegations of taking part in an illegal assembly during last year’s anti-government protests
But they were not required to indicate their plea on this charge on Tuesday as prosecutor Priscilia Lam revealed plans to handle this case together with that of 12 other veterans of the opposition camp who are set to make their first court appearance next week.
Jimmy Lai charged over August 31 march and alleged intimidation of reporter
Speaking outside West Kowloon Court, Lai urged Hongkongers to fight on while Lee expressed regret over prosecutors’ bid to impose additional bail conditions, which he learned just minutes before the afternoon hearing.
“This is very obviously a sudden political instruction from the Department of Justice,” Lee said. “We are enraged.”
The three defendants face a joint count of knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly, which allegedly took place on August 31 last year, in violation of the Public Order Ordinance.
Lai separately faces one count of criminal intimidation, alleging that he had threatened to injure a man identified only as X – with the intent to alarm him – during the June 4 vigil in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, in 2017.
He pleaded not guilty to this charge before Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen, who then listed the case for a three-day trial, that will be conducted in English, to begin on August 19.
Lam said the prosecution case was mainly based on two witnesses, named X and Y after the court granted their application for anonymity.
She did not object to the defendants’ bail with the condition that they remain in Hong Kong, report to police once a week, reside in their reported address and refrain from contacting any prosecution witnesses.
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But the magistrate only agreed to impose these additional conditions in respect to Lai’s criminal intimidation case, and released all three men on cash bails ranging from HK$1,000 (US$129) to HK$4,000.
They are expected to return to the same court on May 18, when they will be joined by other co-defendants including prominent barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming.
Their first court appearance on Tuesday drew a throng of reporters as well as supporters and counterprotesters, who chanted slogans outside the building while police officers kept a close watch and warned against breaches of social distancing rules.
“Shame on political prosecution,” activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung chanted. “Peaceful assembly is not a crime.”
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Pro-establishment groups were also present, chanting support for “the police’s strict law enforcement”.
The publishing tycoon was represented by Lawrence Hui, Jeffrey Tam and Kevin Steel. Yeung, an assistant professor in social work at the University of Hong Kong, was represented by Joe Chan.
Lee, general secretary of the Confederation of Trade Unions, did not engage a lawyer.
Their supporters in the public gallery included former Democratic Party lawmakers Emily Lau Wai-hing, Albert Ho Chun-yan and Lee Wing-tat; former Labour Party lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan; and League of Social Democrats chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming.
Criminal intimidation is punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a HK$2,000 fine on summary conviction, or a five-year jail term on conviction upon indictment.
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