U.S. and British officials have called for Jimmy Lai’s release on “humanitarian” grounds, citing his age and health.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee praised the 20-year prison sentence for pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, saying he had “committed many heinous crimes and his misdeeds are unfathomable.”
Mr. Li’s condemnation of the former Apple Daily newspaper owner on Tuesday came as officials in the United States, Britain, several other countries, and the United Nations said Mr. Lai’s imprisonment was “unjust” and that the 78-year-old should be released on humanitarian grounds.
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“This judgment must be immediately set aside as a violation of international law,” said UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk.
Hong Kong’s chief executive said Lai’s newspaper “poisoned” Hong Kongers and encouraged them to break the law and become extremist and violent during months of anti-government protests in 2019.
“The harsh sentence imposed on him, 20 years in prison, is a great relief to everyone as it shows that the rule of law will be upheld and justice will be served,” Lee said.
Mr. Li was sentenced Monday to six years and three months to 10 years in prison, along with eight other defendants, including six former Apple Daily employees.
His sentence was the harshest ever handed down in Hong Kong since the Chinese government imposed a national security law on the semi-autonomous city in 2020.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentence an “unjust and tragic conclusion” to Lai’s case.
“This shows the world that the Chinese government will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate Hong Kong’s fundamental freedoms,” he said in a statement shared with X.
Rubio and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Hong Kong to release Lai, who has dual British and Hong Kong citizenship, on humanitarian grounds.
“For Mr. Lai, who is 78 years old, this amounts to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr. Lai’s health and once again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his horrific ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds so he can be reunited with his family,” Cooper said.
“Anti-China agitator”
Lai was found guilty in December of two counts of national security for colluding with foreign forces and one count of sedition for supporting the protests and urging the United States to impose sanctions on Hong Kong’s leaders after the protests were cracked down.
Before his arrest, Lai had long been a critic of the Chinese Communist Party and was known as a strong supporter of Hong Kong’s democracy movement.
His son Sebastian told the BBC this week that given his father’s age and declining health, a 20-year prison term was a “death sentence”.
“I hope the government will do more to free my father,” he said, referring to the British government.
British opposition leaders, including Conservative Party shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not doing enough to support Lai during her visit to Beijing in January.
“Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labor Government should be ashamed of themselves for failing to secure Jimmy’s release,” Patel wrote to X.
Mr Patel also described Mr Starmer as “humorous” for simultaneously approving controversial Chinese plans to build a huge embassy and an alleged “spy hub” in central London.
Despite global criticism, China has insisted the national security law is necessary to “protect” Hong Kong. China’s powerful State Council mentioned Mr. Lai’s trial in a new report on Hong Kong’s national security situation released on Tuesday.
The report said “anti-China agitators who sought to destabilize Hong Kong” like Mr. Lai were convicted and imprisoned in accordance with the law.
