The United States and Britain called for the release of publisher Jimmy Lai. Hong Kong’s leading democracy campaigner will go on trial there from Monday for ‘crimes against national security’. Washington and London called the process ‘politically motivated’.
Lai, 76, who is critical of China, has been detained since 2020 and faces life in prison for violating the controversial National Security Law imposed by Beijing on the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong. Lai, former owner of a Hong Kong newspaper that was forced to close Daily Applesaid to be guilty of colluding with foreign powers.
“As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been the target of actions aimed at restricting freedom of expression and association,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement.
Cameron met with the son of the famous dissident, Sebastien Lai, in London last Tuesday. China reacted angrily and accused Britain of having “malicious intentions” towards the former British colony.
The US also called for Lai’s immediate release. “The United States condemns the prosecution of pro-democracy activist and media owner Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong under China’s National Security Law,” a US State Department spokesperson said in a statement. Since China introduced the security law, the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has been suppressed.
The European Union and United Nations have also expressed concern over the prosecution of Lai, a British citizen. The criticism has been rejected by Beijing as slanderous and interference.
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