National Catholic Register: 'As Jimmy Lai Is Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison, Hong Kong Catholics’ Concern Grows'

On 16 April 2021. Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive was quoted in the National Catholic Register.

On this day, nine high profile pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong were sentenced to up to 18 months in prison for organising and participating in peaceful protests in the city in 2019. Among them were media tycoon Jimmy Lai, veteran activist Lee Cheuk-yan and veteran politician and activist Martin Lee who is also known as the “father” of democracy movement.

The Register report says that Hong Kong Catholics’ concern grows as Jimmy Lai who is the owner of the city’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and also a Catholic was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Commenting on this, Benedict Rogers said:

“As freedom itself is dismantled in Hong Kong, religious freedom is increasingly impacted.”

“[The effect on Catholics in Hong Kong] is already clear”, “many of the most prominent pro-democracy voices in Hong Kong are Catholics.” 

“Anything remotely connected to political expression is now severely restricted, including in religious contexts” and although restrictions on religious freedom in Hong Kong “have not yet reached the level of mainland China, and there is still freedom of worship,” the signs are concerning.  

The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, he pointed out, is instructing clergy to be careful in their homilies, and Catholic schools there are “now subject to Chinese Communist Party propaganda, especially in regard to the national security law.”

“[The diocese] even effectively banned a prayer campaign planned by lay Catholics last year, to pray for Hong Kong.” 

Full article: https://www.ncregister.com/news/as-jimmy-lai-is-sentenced-to-14-months-in-prison-hong-kong-catholics-concern-grows?amp&__twitter_impression=true