The United Kingdom and Jimmy Lai
Speaking up for their fellow British citizen in the House of Lords.
Wall Street Journal The Editorial Board Dec. 20, 2024 The United Kingdom and Jimmy Lai – WSJ
Newspaper owner Jimmy Lai dared speak out for democracy in Hong Kong and now faces up to life in prison. But the United Kingdom has a mixed record of speaking up for him, despite his British passport. So credit several members of the House of Lords who raised the plight of their fellow citizen Thursday during a debate on the U.K.’s China policy.
Authorities arrested Mr. Lai in 2020 on charges of sedition and foreign collusion. His trial on these charges has now lasted more than a year and shows no sign of ending anytime soon. “For a British national who has never held a Chinese passport to be held in solitary confinement, with no consular access, denied access to the sacraments, dragged out to court to respond to an entirely fabricated narrative is simply outrageous,” said Lord David Alton.
Lord Alton noted this political persecution “certainly makes a mockery of the Sino-British Joint Declaration” signed 40 years ago this week that set the terms for the British handover of Hong Kong to China. Beijing committed to preserving Hong Kong’s judicial independence and liberties, including freedom of speech, the press and religion. London “cannot allow Beijing to continue to trample on its international commitments with impunity,” said Lord Martin Callanan, a Conservative.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month raised concerns over “reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration” in captivity and declared securing his release a government “priority.” In October Foreign Secretary David Lammy raised Mr. Lai’s case in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart. That’s an improvement over Mr. Starmer’s Tory predecessor Rishi Sunak, who at the start of his tenure seemed reluctant to even mention Mr. Lai’s name.
Lord Jeremy Purvis, a Liberal Democrat, suggested the possibility of Magnitsky Act sanctions on Hong Kong officials who presided over the crackdown on people like Mr. Lai. The U.S. already has robust sanctions in place against those officials. As Mr. Lai prepares for his fourth Christmas in prison, sanctions would be a good way for Britain to demonstrate that it takes the mistreatment of one of its citizens seriously.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/united-kingdom-house-of-lords-jimmy-lai-china-policy-hong-kong-9c5ce453
