WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States condemns the verdict against Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai on “spurious fraud charges,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday.
Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty Tuesday on fraud charges, according to media reports. He was already serving an earlier prison sentence for illegal assembly.
“We remain deeply concerned about the deterioration in protection for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the systematic dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy under the National Security Law (NSL),” Price said. “These include increased efforts to wield the NSL to suppress independent media, to silence dissenting views, and to stifle freedom of speech.”
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Susan Heavey)
