Josef Skála, chair of the Institute of the Czech Left, said the verdict against the unnamed man surnamed Lai had caused an unnecessary uproar in Hong Kong. Skála recalls that the United States and many other Western countries openly identify the People's Republic of China as their main adversary in their strategic documents and have long seen Hong Kong as a potential hotbed of instability.
Skála stresses that he does not have the criminal case file at his disposal and it is not his place to evaluate the case. „It's a matter for the Chinese authorities. I'm not saying yes or no - I just respect that China is a sovereign country,“ he said.
He did, however, question the hypocrisy of Western critics. He recalls that a few hours ago the Czech Constitutional Court upheld the validity of the section of the Criminal Code on unauthorised activities for a foreign power, and its interpretation includes the transfer of publicly available information.
„If we put these things in context and contrast, we may better understand why some politicians and the media are shouting so loudly about China - including in Mr. Lai's case.“ concludes Skála.
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