HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and opposition against the unfounded comments by some so-called human rights experts regarding the verdict of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying .

Certain so-called human rights experts have entirely no respect for the HKSAR court's independent judgment of the case, which had been made on the basis of facts and evidence. They also refused to acknowledge the evidence set out in the reasons for the verdict, or understand the court's considerations and reasons for the verdict, a spokesperson for the HKSAR government said in a statement.

These individuals wantonly launched attacks, slandered and attacked the HKSAR government, with despicable political manipulations to demand the immediate release of Jimmy Lai, overriding the rule of law with politics and confounding right and wrong, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson stressed that the court's conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations.

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In fact, the Jimmy Lai case has nothing to do with freedom of speech or of the press at all, the spokesperson said, noting that over the years, the defendants were using journalism as a guise to commit acts that brought harm to the country and the HKSAR.

The HKSAR government will continue to effectively prevent, suppress and impose punishment for acts and activities endangering national security in accordance with the law, while upholding the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said.