Hong Kong Bar Association chief urges critics to assess Jimmy Lai verdict fairly

The head of the Hong Kong Bar Association has called on the public and foreign governments to review the judgment against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, convicted of national security offences, before forming their own opinions, acknowledging such verdicts could spark controversy given differing values. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet reaffirmed that Hong Kong’s judicial independence and the rule of law were “alive and strong”. “In many...