‘Chilling’: Raising democracy & human rights on the world stage a ‘red line’ for Chinese government

Jailed Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai on Friday said he had advocated for “peaceful resistance” against China’s erosion of the city’s freedoms as he provides evidence for three days in his trial for collusion with foreign forces, an offence carrying up to life in prison under the sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the financial hub in mid-2020. As Chinese authorities sentence dozens of democracy activists for subversion, FRANCE 24’s Yinka Oyetade is joined by Elaine Pearson is director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, overseeing more than 20 countries.