Full solidarity with Jimmy Lai and his family following the politically motivated sentence handed down today by the Hong Kong authorities under Beijing’s direction. With this conviction, Jimmy Lai—a 78-year-old British citizen and former founder and publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper “Apple Daily”—suffers yet another injustice. This is even more serious given that Lai has already been imprisoned for five years, and his physical condition continues to deteriorate. Concerns regarding the high risk of this conviction, which was unfortunately expected, were raised on October 27th in the Senate during a conference attended by the publisher’s son, Sebastien Lai.
The sentence of 20 years in prison offends every sense of human dignity and is contrary to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and fundamental human rights. With this decision, the judges are sending a chilling message to all journalists and dissidents in the former British colony: freedom of expression and freedom of the press no longer exist. However, the gravity of this situation must not lead to surrender. The international community, and democratic Parliaments in particular, must continue to exert diplomatic pressure so that the Chinese authorities end the persecution of Jimmy Lai. Just as he stood by the pro-democracy movement, facing charges of sedition and collusion with foreign forces, it is now the democratic world first and foremost that must not forget the commitment and sacrifice he has made—and continues to make—for the freedom of the citizens of Hong Kong and beyond.
Giulio Terzi