UK-based lawyers for Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai targeted by Chinese state
www.theguardian.com
Exclusive: Barristers at Doughty Street Chambers say they have been subject to surveillance, hacking and rape threats

Cross posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/29556998

UK-based lawyers have spoken out about being targeted by the Chinese state and its supporters in a campaign of intimidation including surveillance, hacking of bank accounts and rape threats.

The barristers, from Doughty Street Chambers in London, say there has been a coordinated and concerted campaign against them since they began acting for the jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media mogul, Jimmy Lai, three years ago.

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC said she had received threats via email and social media of dismemberment, rape and death, which have extended to her family in recent months.

“I had a threat to rape one of my children because of my work,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s just an individual or if that’s someone who’s state-linked. What I do know is that if you have a campaign which is led by state authorities to say this lawyer is not to be trusted and they’re undermining the Chinese state by engaging in legal work with the United Nations, it sends a green light to [its supporters] to send material like that.”

As the leader of Lai’s international legal team, Gallagher has been targeted the most, including “hundreds” of attempts to hack her bank account. There has also been so-called “privilege phishing” – attempts to seek to persuade those who are targeted to divulge sensitive information, which the Bar Council has also warned about. Sometimes it is through emails created to appear to have been sent by Gallagher, or her contacts or colleagues.

  • TacoButtPlugEnglish
    3·
    8 days ago

    The internet says:

    Jimmy Lai is a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, entrepreneur, and media tycoon. He founded Next Digital and Apple Daily, which became one of Hong Kong’s most popular pro-democracy newspapers. Born in mainland China in 1947, he came to Hong Kong as a child and built himself up from working in factories to creating a successful clothing retail chain called Giordano.

    Lai became increasingly vocal about democracy and civil rights in Hong Kong, especially after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. His newspaper Apple Daily was known for its criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

    In 2020, following the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law, Lai was arrested multiple times. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after its assets were frozen by authorities. Lai was charged under the national security law with various offenses including “collusion with foreign forces.”

    In December 2023, Lai faced trial in Hong Kong on national security charges, which attracted significant international attention. The trial was conducted without a jury, and Lai faced potential life imprisonment if convicted.