APJimmy Lai in prison earlier this year
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 01:15
The United Kingdom calls on China to release Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai. According to Foreign Minister Cameron, the trial that started against him today is a violation of the agreements made when Hong Kong was transferred to China in 1997.
“This is a clear attempt to prevent him from exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly,” Cameron said in a statement. “I call on the Hong Kong authorities to halt the trial and release Jimmy Lai.”
Almost simultaneously, the US State Department made a similar call. “Restrictions on press freedom and changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system have undermined democracy and damaged Hong Kong’s reputation as a financial center,” a spokesperson said.
Prominente activist
76-year-old Jimmy Lai is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent activists. After becoming wealthy in the clothing industry, he became publisher of the Apple Daily newspaper, which critically monitored Beijing’s influence on the former British colony.
Lai is currently serving a many-year prison sentence. He was arrested after weeks of demonstrations in 2019 against a new law that increased Beijing’s control over Hong Kong. The judge then convicted him first for his role in the demonstrations and later again for fraud with rental contracts.
A new trial against Lai began today, in which he has been charged with conspiring with foreign powers against China. This trial is internationally seen as one of the most important court cases since China introduced the new security law.
Correspondent Garrie van Pinxteren:
The British government has not previously openly called for the release of Jimmy Lai. For example, Lai’s son Sebastien received little attention from the British government. He thought that was quite hypocritical: the Americans were much more outspoken in their support. He found
Now there is almost simultaneously a British and an American call for release. On the part of the UK, this is quite a shift compared to Beijing, but it is unlikely to achieve much. Lai is one of the most outspoken and prominent critics of the Communist Party of China. Beijing is committed to silencing Lai for good.
And Hong Kong does what Beijing wants. If not, Beijing will move the process to China, Beijing previously threatened.
According to Cameron, the prosecution of Lai goes against the agreements that China made with the United Kingdom when the British crown colony was transferred in 1997. In the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Beijing promised to respect the civil rights of Hong Kong residents at the time.
The security law “has damaged Hong Kong by significantly restricting its rights and freedoms,” Cameron now says. “I call on Chinese authorities to repeal the law and stop bringing cases against anyone prosecuted under it.”
If Lai is convicted of his contacts abroad, he could face life imprisonment.
China has not yet responded to Cameron’s call. In the past, it dismissed such criticism as neocolonial.
2023-12-18 00:15:03
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