Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Now might be the worst time for Western politicians, media and so-called human rights activists to lecture China on Jimmy Lai's trial. They have been arrogantly calling for him to walk free without facing consequences for his crimes, in complete disregard of due process and judicial independence. They claim that Lai's trial is politically motivated and violates human rights, arguing that he should be released on humanitarian grounds.

Their defense of Lai has no legal basis. It is based entirely on political prejudice and, more importantly, their supposed moral superiority over China. This alleged moral superiority explains the blatant double standards displayed by some US politicians like John Moolenaar. They act outraged by the judicial process, claiming Lai has not been given a fair trial in Hong Kong. However, they do not seem to be bothered by innocent US citizens getting gunned down in broad daylight by masked federal agents. In their bigoted worldview, the West is always right, and whoever dares to question its rightness is unquestionably wrong. Jimmy Lai serves as the "champion of their moral superiority" in Hong Kong, and that is why they care so much about him.

For decades, this moral superiority has been taken for granted. Francis Fukuyama's ill-fated prediction of "the end of history" in the early 1990s perfectly encapsulates this idea: Western liberal democracy is the one true ideology and the ultimate evolution of human society, while other ideologies from the rest of the world are either diversions or dead ends. Western governments routinely use this moral superiority as a pretext to lecture other countries on human rights and democracy and to interfere in their domestic affairs, as is the case with Jimmy Lai.

Amazingly, this once seemingly unshakable moral superiority seems to be collapsing in real time, driven by three major events in the past year that are so apparent that even obstinate Western supremacists can't help but be disturbed by them: disturbing US policies both at home and abroad; Western countries' condoning of Israel's atrocities in Gaza; and the unspeakably evil acts unveiled by the Epstein files involving Western elites.

The new US government has faced serious accusations of corruption, while Americans are grappling with an increasingly severe cost-of-living crisis. ICE's high-handed operations have resulted in arbitrary detentions and killings. Abroad, the US has attacked Iran and Venezuela in complete disregard of international law. Even other Western countries are not spared from its aggression, as threats have been made to take Greenland by force. The democratic process and rule of law that Americans so often boast about and accuse China of lacking are nowhere to be found in the face of their own government's corrupt and thuggish actions.

Then there is Israel's ongoing atrocities in Gaza. Thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed, and hundreds of thousands of people are being starved to death. Yet most Western countries not only refuse to condemn these atrocities but are actively supporting it. It seems that the West's supposed respect for human rights suddenly vanishes when Gaza is involved.

Finally, the recently released Epstein files have stripped the West of even the bare minimum of morality. Correspondences between some of the richest and most powerful people in the Western world regarding human trafficking, sex crimes and even gruesome murders send shivers down the spine of anyone who reads them. It has been revealed that some prominent Western politicians and businessmen have allegedly been involved in Epstein's vile business, yet there have been few arrests or even investigations carried out against them.

This string of events has shattered the West's moral superiority. For too long, Western politicians have stood on the moral high ground, using Jimmy Lai's case to smear China's human rights record and rule of law. Now, their moral high ground is crumbling and falling into the abyss. With all the tyranny in Trump's America, the atrocities in Gaza and the horrific accounts in the Epstein files, any Western attack on Jimmy Lai's trial in Hong Kong is utterly ridiculous and pathetic. 

To all Western politicians and media who proclaim themselves as defenders of human rights and freedom: If you truly care about the rule of law, hold your own government accountable for their actions; if you truly care about human rights, condemn the atrocities in Gaza; if you have any basic humanity and conscience left, demand the full release of the unredacted Epstein files and that all culprits involved be brought to justice, instead of making inappropriate comments on Jimmy Lai's lawful and just trial.

The author is a research fellow at the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn