On February 8, the British government announced it would urgently address the case of Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned Hong Kong newspaper owner and pro-democracy activist, after a court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to print and distribute seditious material.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that because Lai is approaching 80 and in poor health he had effectively been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison following what she said was “a politically motivated prosecution” for opposing Beijing’s efforts to silence dissent in Hong Kong, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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“For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family,” she said in a statement.
“Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] raised Mr. Lai’s case directly with President Xi during his visit. That has opened up discussion of our most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels. Following today’s sentencing we will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai’s case,” Cooper said.
She added that Britain stood with the people of Hong Kong and was committed to commitments made under the legally binding 1984 one-country, two systems treaty that guaranteed Hong Kong’s system would remain unchanged for 50 years after Britain handed it back to China in 1997, saying that “China must do the same.”
Lai was sentenced after being convicted in mid-December following a 156-day trial on two charges that alleged he and his now-defunct Apple Daily publication broke the territory’s national security law by encouraging foreign countries to sanction the territory and a third of conspiracy to commit sedition.
