Hong Kong jails pro-democracy media tycoon over fraud
NBCJUL 2022
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
With a series of baseless charges against Lai, it's evident that the businessman is being punished for speaking out against government abuse of power, corruption, and the anti-dissent National Security Law imposed by Beijing. This latest sentence is further testimony to how far Beijing is willing to go to force Hong Kong into line with the mainland.
Pro-China narrative
Hong Kong courts have a statutory duty to enforce the rule of law, which has nothing to do with freedom of speech or the press — especially in this case, where the evidence against Lai is undeniable. Although heavily backed by the US, he isn't above the law and must be held accountable.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that Hong Kong will stop being a Special Administrative Region of China by November 2044, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
