Five prominent Hong Kong lawyers have expressed alarm over an article by China’s state media that slams the city’s judiciary for releasing Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai on bail.

The lawyers, including human rights advocate Mark Daly and Kenneth Lam, called on Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng to defend the judiciary against “unwarranted accusations.” Their statement was also signed by Michelle Tsoi, Janet Pang and Davyd Wong.

On Sunday, the state-run People’s Daily published an editorial criticizing Hong Kong’s High Court for granting HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bail to Lai, adding that Chinese authorities should take over jurisdiction of the case. Lai is being prosecuted for colluding with foreign forces under the national security law, and for land use fraud.

“The commentary published by People’s Daily could be perceived as putting pressure on the judiciary to decide a pending case in a particular manner, which breaches the sub judice rule and could prejudice the accused’s right to a fair trial,” the lawyers argued. “These attacks should cease immediately.”

The five lawyers, all council members of the Hong Kong Law Society, said they were speaking in a personal capacity. On Tuesday, the Hong Kong Bar Association also issued a similar statement asking the Secretary for Justice to defend the judiciary against attacks.

Meanwhile, Beijing-backed newspapers in Hong Kong continued their weeklong media offensive. Ta Kung Pao on Wednesday published an editorial chiding judge Alex Lee for acting “rashly” and giving “overly flimsy” reasons for granting bail.

“Is Lee the judge or Lai’s defense lawyer? … Do Hong Kong courts have the ability to handle Lai’s case?” Ta Kung Pao wrote.

Wen Wei Po said in an editorial that the judge’s decision “led to the public feeling confused and sceptical,” and questioned his interpretation of the national security law.

In a statement, the Department of Justice told Apple Daily that Lai’s case was ongoing and declined to comment. The department would take follow-up action as appropriate and necessary for any conduct that might constitute contempt of court, a spokesperson said.

Lai is due to appear in the Court of Final Appeal on New Year’s Eve as the department has filed an appeal against his bail. His home is being monitored around the clock, with police conducting searches of all vehicles coming in and out of the premises.

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