On Monday, February 9th, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, sparking condemnation from the international community. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the Chinese Communist Party for resorting to extreme measures to suppress advocates of basic freedoms in Hong Kong. Japan urged the Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong authorities to respect the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Court handed down a 20-year prison sentence to Jimmy Lai on Monday morning for charges of colluding with foreign forces and inciting subversion. This verdict once again raised concerns in the West about the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong.
In a statement on the State Department’s website, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the verdict was “neither fair nor justifiable” in the context of the case.
“It signals to the world that Beijing, in order to silence advocates of basic freedoms in Hong Kong, is willing to take extreme measures and openly abandon its international commitments made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984,” Pompeo said. “Jimmy Lai has endured a two-year trial and has been imprisoned for over five years, causing suffering to himself and his family. The United States urges the authorities involved to grant Jimmy Lai humanitarian parole.”
Japanese government spokesperson Mitsuru Kiwara expressed serious concerns on Monday, February 9th, about the potential impact of Jimmy Lai’s 20-year imprisonment on freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
“We also believe that situations undermining trust in the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, including this case, continue to occur. We will continue to urge the authorities in mainland China and Hong Kong to ensure the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens are respected. We will closely cooperate with the international community and strongly urge them to do so,” Kiwara said at a press conference.
US congressional members also spoke out, condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s verdict against Jimmy Lai. Republican Senator Rick Scott said, “Tonight, my friend Jimmy Lai was unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison by communist China for daring to hold a different view from the CCP and refusing to use his newspaper to spread CCP propaganda.”
“We will not forget all that Xi Jinping and his henchmen have done to Jimmy Lai and many political prisoners. Enough is enough! The world is watching, and we know the truth: Jimmy Lai is innocent, and tonight he should be reunited with his family, not in the hands of Xi Jinping’s thuggish regime.”
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley issued a statement on Jimmy Lai’s sentencing, saying, “This sham trial conducted by Hong Kong officials representing China’s CCP is an attempt by the Chinese government to stifle press freedom. As long as there are people like Jimmy Lai who dare to speak the truth at all costs, their attempts will never succeed.”
In addition to the US and Japan, the EU, UK, Australia, and various human rights groups have also spoken out, condemning the verdict against Jimmy Lai by the Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong authorities.
Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, appealed on Monday for the UK government to take “further measures” to ensure the release of his elderly father.
Jimmy Lai is a British citizen who denies the charges against him, telling the court he is a “political prisoner.” Sebastien Lai, also a British citizen, stated in an interview with Reuters that “more measures must be taken, and quickly, or his father will die in prison.”
He mentioned that during UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to China last month, he did not initially demand the release of Jimmy Lai from Chinese authorities, which he believes was a mistake. He also expressed that the 20-year sentence is akin to a death sentence for his father.