There is this old British chestnut that says justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.
There is the reality of justice and the appearance of it, and the two donโt always or even usually coincide.
There are two main reasons behind the widespread Western criticism of Laiโs case. One is that Western standards and assumptions about governance and journalism are very different from Chinaโs. I can respect them in the same way that I respect Islamic or Christian beliefs, though I am not a Christian or a Muslim. The other reason is the Westโs inherent double standards, to which I do object.
Letโs start with the latter, which I will call the Westโs fact-free criticism of the case.
I will cite several examples, the first from The New York Times, written by one of its most prominent commentators, titled โDissidents are silenced, and the West moves onโ.