Lord Cameron calls for release of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong

The trial of the 76-year-old British citizen is being watched closely around the world.
Lord Cameron condemned the prosecution of Jimmy Lai, whose trial begins on Monday (Vincent Yu/PA)
AP
Dominic McGrath17 December 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The Foreign Secretary has called for the release of Jimmy Lai and the ending of his “politically motivated prosecution”, ahead of the high-profile trial in Hong Kong of the pro-democracy newspaper publisher.

In a significant intervention, Lord Cameron condemned the charges against Mr Lai, who faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a national security law imposed by China following the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

The trial of the 76-year-old British citizen is being watched closely around the world amid concerns about the growing influence of Beijing on the former British colony.

Mr Lai is charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to publish seditious publications.

As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association

Lord Cameron

Lord Cameron said: “Hong Kong’s national security law is a clear breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Its continued existence and use is a demonstration of China breaking its international commitments.

“It has damaged Hong Kong, with rights and freedoms significantly eroded. Arrests under the law have silenced opposition voices.

“I am gravely concerned that anyone is facing prosecution under the national security law, and particularly concerned at the politically-motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai.

“As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.

“I urge the Chinese authorities to repeal the national security law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.

“I call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution and release Jimmy Lai.”

The call comes after Mr Lai’s son Sebastien met with Lord Cameron last week.

He said he had “left the meeting feeling hopeful that the UK will shortly add its voice to calls for my dad’s immediate and unconditional release”.

Mr Lai founded Hong Kong’s now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper but was arrested in 2020 during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement.

His case has become a key issue, especially among Tory backbenchers pushing for a harder Government line on China.

The trial comes as Rishi Sunak and his ministers have sought to dampen tensions with Beijing.

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly made the first visit to China for five years when he travelled there in August.

The intervention by the former prime minister, who returned to high office in a shock move last month, is significant.

Relations between the West and China have deteriorated dramatically in the years since he resigned and are far from the so-called “golden era” of relations he presided over.

His appointment led to questions about whether he would be willing to take a tough stance on Beijing. Since taking up the Foreign Secretary role, Lord Cameron has acknowledged that the Asian power has become “much more aggressive, much more assertive” since he left No 10.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in