Hong Kong Watch responds to latest developments in the trial of Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong entrepreneur and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces and publishing “seditious” materials in his trial under Hong Kong’s National Security Law today.

During proceedings, the prosecution reportedly named several foreign politicians and human rights activists with whom Mr Lai had been in contact over recent years, and showed headshots of some of them. Among them are Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers, the Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Luke de Pulford, former US Consul-General to Hong Kong Ambassador James Cunningham, who chairs the board of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Bill Browder, a human rights campaigner who pioneered the introduction of Magnitsky sanctions worldwide and former Japanese Member of Parliament Shiori Kanno.

Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Patron of Hong Kong Watch and Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong, said:

“The naming of Benedict Rogers and several other international campaigners for democracy in Hong Kong in the trial of Jimmy Lai shows this charade of a trial has nothing to do with justice. It is simply an assertion of CCP authoritarianism. It makes a mockery of the rule of law. The only conspiracy is that which is being organised by opponents of justice, democracy, and human rights. This show trial should be ended forthwith and the UK Government should say so loud and clear. #FreeJimmyLai.”

Responding to this development today, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers said:

“This simply shows, as we have said all along, that this is a show trial and has absolutely nothing to do with genuine national security. The ‘crime’ Mr Lai is accused of is talking with foreign politicians and activists, including myself, and engaging in journalism – which, as the publisher of a major newspaper in Hong Kong, ought to be regarded as entirely normal legitimate activity. 

“Furthermore, much of this activity pre-dates the National Security Law, which means the law is being applied retroactively – something the Hong Kong government gave assurances would not happen when it was imposed on 1 July 2020. 

“Mr Lai’s trial illustrates just how dramatically and extensively Hong Kong’s basic freedoms and the rule of law have been dismantled. 

“We continue to stand in solidarity with Mr Lai, and with everyone named as co-conspirators or alleged to be involved with the case, and we call on the international community to continue to monitor the trial very closely, to urge the Hong Kong government to drop the charges and to demand Mr Lai’s immediate and unconditional release to prevent a further grave miscarriage of justice.”

香港監察回應黎智英案最新發展 呼籲國際社會要求港府立即無條件放人

香港企業家兼民運人士黎智英涉嫌違反《國家安全法》案件今天續審，黎智英否認「串謀勾結外國勢力」及「串謀發布煽動刊物」等控罪。

據報導，控方在宣讀開案陳詞期間點出黎智英近年聯絡過的數名外國政治人物和人權倡議人士的名字，並展示頭像。被點名的海外人士包括香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）、對華政策跨國議會聯盟（IPAC）執行總監裴倫德（Luke de Pulford）、前美國駐香港總領事兼香港自由委員會基金會（Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation）董事會主席郭明瀚（James Cunningham)、率先在全球推動馬格尼茨基制裁的人權倡議者Bill Browder和前日本國會議員菅野志櫻里（Shiori Kanno）。

香港監察贊助人兼英國國會跨黨派香港小組副主席奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）表示：

「在黎智英案中點出羅傑斯和其他幾位香港民主國際倡議人士的名字顯示，這種做樣子的審訊無關公義，純粹主張中共威權，嘲弄法治。唯一的陰謀是反對公義、民主和人權人士策劃的陰謀。這場做騷公審（show trial）應該立即結束，而英國政府應該大聲而清楚說出：#釋放黎智英（#FreeJimmyLai）。」

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯回應此事，表示：

「這只不過表明，正如我們一直所言，黎智英案是做騷公審，與真正的國家安全完全無關。黎智英被指控的『罪行』是與包括我在內的外國政治人物和倡議人士接觸，並從事新聞工作。身為香港一家主要報紙的出版人，這應當視為完全正常的合法活動。

再者，大部分活動早於《國安法》實施前發生，意味着該法具追溯力，而香港政府於2020年7月1日強推該法時曾保證不會發生這種情況。

黎智英案顯示，香港基本自由和法治所受到的破壞既劇烈又廣泛。

我們繼續聲援黎智英，以及所有被點名為共犯和被指牽涉此案的人。我們呼籲國際社會繼續密切關注案件，敦促香港政府撤銷指控，並要求立即無條件釋放黎智英，以防進一步嚴重誤判。」