A panel discussion on the Trial of Jimmy Lai, Media Freedom and Democracy in Hong Kong hosted by the Sydney Peace Foundation, featuring:
Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai, renowned pro-democracy campaigner and media entrepreneur
Professor Ben Saul, Challis Chair of International Law at the University of Sydney and the United Nations Special Rapporteur
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, human rights lawyer and expert in media freedom and journalists’ safety
Jennifer Robinson, award-winning barrister specialising in human rights and media freedom law
Jimmy Lai, renowned pro-democracy campaigner, media entrepreneur, writer and founder of Apple Daily, is currently on trial in Hong Kong under the controversial new National Security Law (NSL), facing the possibility of a lifetime in prison.
Apple Daily was Hong Kong’s most popular Chinese language newspaper until its forced closure in 2021, which Amnesty International described as ‘the blackest day for media freedom in Hong Kong’.
Mr Lai has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of the persecution he has faced for his work advocating for democracy and civil liberties in Hong Kong. His imprisonment is the highest profile case of the crackdown on freedom of the press, business and democracy in the region.
Now dedicating his time to advocating for his father’s release, Sebastien Lai is visiting Australia, along with lead counsel and civil liberties expert Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, to highlight his father’s plight and the far-reaching implications of the case.
At a time when Press Freedom in Hong Kong has slipped from number 18 in the world to around 140 in the past two decades, and for the first time in its history the 28th edition of the Economic Freedom of the World saw Hong Kong drop from the number one spot, this is an important discussion of the encroachment on media, political and economic freedom in our region.
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