Hong Kong: a Hong Kong An internet radio host was jailed on Friday after pleading guilty to “seditious” comments opposing the Chinese regime, calling for the city’s independence and the toppling of its government.
Beijing has sparked widespread political action in Hong Kong after witnessing massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests by the Chinese finance center three years ago.
Edmund Lily – better known by his DJ name “Giggs” – was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of “conspiracy to act with seditious intent” and money laundering.
District Judge Adriana Noel Tse Ching The 54-year-old described the case as “very serious” as his words added “fuel to the fire” at a time when Hong Kong was facing widespread social unrest.
The judge said Wan was “clearly flouting the law” because some of the 39 shows cited by prosecutors aired after the national security law imposed by Beijing came into force.
The security law combined with the colonial-era sedition law has been used to criminalize much dissent in Hong Kong since the 2019 protests.
In a show in 2020, Van cited the expulsion of the former leader of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich and said hong kongers The leader must also “expulse” Carrie Llamo,
Another show accused Chinese Communist Party of “cultural destruction” against minorities and that its national flag stands for authoritarianism.
Wan used his show to donate to support young Hong Kongers who had fled to nearby Taiwan.
Prosecutors pursuing allegations of money laundering said that Wan’s bank accounts received funds for unexplained reasons, totaling more than HK$10 million ($1.3 million), which were “completely disproportionate” to his income.
Defense lawyers in the mitigation argued that Wan was not a public figure seeking political mileage and that his shows had a low number of views on platforms such as YouTube.
Wan was first arrested in November 2020 and has been in custody since February last year. He was the second person to be arrested on treason charges since Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China in 1997.
Beijing has sparked widespread political action in Hong Kong after witnessing massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests by the Chinese finance center three years ago.
Edmund Lily – better known by his DJ name “Giggs” – was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of “conspiracy to act with seditious intent” and money laundering.
District Judge Adriana Noel Tse Ching The 54-year-old described the case as “very serious” as his words added “fuel to the fire” at a time when Hong Kong was facing widespread social unrest.
The judge said Wan was “clearly flouting the law” because some of the 39 shows cited by prosecutors aired after the national security law imposed by Beijing came into force.
The security law combined with the colonial-era sedition law has been used to criminalize much dissent in Hong Kong since the 2019 protests.
In a show in 2020, Van cited the expulsion of the former leader of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich and said hong kongers The leader must also “expulse” Carrie Llamo,
Another show accused Chinese Communist Party of “cultural destruction” against minorities and that its national flag stands for authoritarianism.
Wan used his show to donate to support young Hong Kongers who had fled to nearby Taiwan.
Prosecutors pursuing allegations of money laundering said that Wan’s bank accounts received funds for unexplained reasons, totaling more than HK$10 million ($1.3 million), which were “completely disproportionate” to his income.
Defense lawyers in the mitigation argued that Wan was not a public figure seeking political mileage and that his shows had a low number of views on platforms such as YouTube.
Wan was first arrested in November 2020 and has been in custody since February last year. He was the second person to be arrested on treason charges since Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China in 1997.