UK calls for release of British citizen Jimmy Lai ahead of his Hong Kong national security trial to start today
Today, after three delays lasting over 12 months, British citizen Jimmy Lai’s National Security Law (NSL) trial will start in Hong Kong. The 76-year-old pro-democracy campaigner, entrepreneur and founder and publisher of the now-defunct Apple Daily, faces three charges under Hong Kong’s Beijing-imposed NSL which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Since the NSL was implemented in 2020, Jimmy Lai has been the target of ongoing judicial and political harassment. In 2022, after completing a 20-month sentence for peaceful participation in pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019, Mr Lai received and is currently serving time for an additional five years and nine months for separate politically-motivated fraud charges.
In May 2023, Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance rejected an appeal from Jimmy Lai’s legal team to challenge the decision made by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee to bar British human rights barrister Tim Owen KC from representing Jimmy Lai in his national security trial. Hong Kong Watch commented that this “put to rest erroneous and wishful thinking that the courts or individual judges have the necessary judicial independence to challenge and check the ongoing human rights crackdown in Hong Kong and to ensure that political prisoners receive a fair trial.”
This followed the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress’ (NPC) first-ever interpretation of the National Security Law on 30 December 2022 which gives the Chief Executive of Hong Kong the power to overturn court decisions and ban foreign lawyers.
However, Jimmy Lai’s trial without a jury and the lawyer of his choice will not be without international pressure.
Today British Foreign Secretary David Cameron released a statement ahead of Jimmy Lai’s trial, urging the Hong Kong authorities to “end their prosecution and release Jimmy Lai”, a “British citizen.”
This statement follows last week’s meeting between the Foreign Secretary and Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai.
After meeting with Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, Sebastien Lai said:
“I’m grateful Lord Cameron found the time to meet me at such a crucial time, with my Dad’s trial due to start in a few days. I feel reassured to have heard directly from the Foreign Secretary that my Dad’s case is a priority for the UK government.”
Sebastien Lai has also campaigned for his father’s release by meeting with leading politicians, delegations and journalists in the British Parliament, European Parliament, Parliament of Canada, US Congress and United Nations.
Last week, the Canadian Senate and House of Commons unanimously supported a motion calling for Jimmy Lai’s immediate release. The European Parliament also passed an urgent resolution calling for Mr Lai’s immediate and unconditional release in June. In March, UN experts sent joint communications to the Chinese government expressing “grave concern” over the ongoing detention of Jimmy Lai for “his criticism of the Chinese government and his support for democracy in Hong Kong.”
Hong Kong Watch included Jimmy Lai, who is a devout Catholic, in its recent report on increasing threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong, “Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong”. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also previously adopted Mr Lai as a religious prisoner of conscience.
Mr Lai’s trial is expected to last 80 days. The latest developments can be found on the Hong Kong Watch website.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“Thank you to the British government for joining the United States, the Canadian Parliament, the European Parliament, UN special rapporteurs and other leaders around the world in publicly calling for the release of British citizen Jimmy Lai. We warmly welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement today. The United Kingdom should have called for Mr Lai’s immediate and unconditional release much earlier on, but we are glad that the Foreign Secretary has done so today.
“Mr Lai deserves to be honoured for his extraordinary dedication and courage in publishing the truth and peacefully advocating for democracy in Hong Kong, instead of being held behind bars. The only guilty party in this trial is the Hong Kong authorities, who continue to dismantle the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
“We stand in solidarity with Jimmy Lai. We also urge the UK to keep a spotlight on the persecution of Jimmy Lai and all political prisoners in China during the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China next month. More must be done to secure his release before it is too late.”
黎智英國安案開審 英外相首度呼籲放人 香港監察促請英國繼續關注案件
英國公民黎智英的《國家安全法》案件歷經橫跨逾12個月的三度延期後，今天即將在香港開審。黎智英現年76歲，是民運人士、企業家、現已停運的《蘋果日報》創辦人暨出版人。他被控三項《國安法》控罪，最高可判處終身監禁。
自2020年北京在香港強推《國安法》以來，黎智英一直受到當局以司法及政治手段騷擾。2022年，黎智英因2019年參與和平示威而被判監20個月，刑滿後又因政治動機而被以欺詐罪追加判監5年9個月，目前正在服刑。
英國外交大臣甘民樂（David Cameron）今天在黎智英出庭受審前發表聲明，呼籲香港當局「停止起訴並釋放黎智英」，形容其為「英國公民」。
這份聲明在上週外相與黎智英的兒子黎崇恩會面後發表。
黎崇恩為爭取釋放父親，亦曾會晤英國國會、歐洲議會、加拿大國會、美國國會和聯合國的政要、代表團和記者。
加拿大參眾兩院上週一致贊成要求立即釋放黎智英的動議。歐洲議會亦於六月通過要求立即無條件釋放黎智英的緊急決議。此外，聯合國專家於三月聯名致函中國政府，對黎智英因「批評中國政府及支持香港民主」而被持續拘留表示「深切關注」。
黎智英是虔誠的天主教徒，香港監察在最近發表的香港宗教或信仰自由報告《出賣我靈：香港宗教或信仰自由即將面臨的威脅》（Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong）中，舉出了他的個案。美國國際宗教自由委員會早前亦將黎智英列為宗教良心犯。
黎智英案預計審期為80日，香港監察網站載有案件的最新發展。