Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai marks 1000 days of unjust detention in prison in Hong Kong
Today, 26th September 2023, marks 1,000 days of consecutive detention in prison in Hong Kong for Jimmy Lai.
Jimmy Lai is a renowned pro-democracy campaigner, writer, publisher and owner of the newspaper Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily, now forcibly closed by the authorities. He has been in prison continuously since December 2020, following his arrest in August 2020. He was initially held on remand in pre-trial detention, and was then convicted and sentenced for participation in peaceful pro-democracy assemblies and a vigil marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre of 1989. He is currently serving a sentence in relation to a spurious fraud conviction, which has been widely condemned as an abuse of the law to silence dissent and freedom of speech. For example, the United States condemned the conviction and described the sentence as a “grossly unjust outcome” which “[b]y any objective measure… is neither fair nor just”.
Mr Lai is now awaiting trial for sedition and charges under the controversial National Security Law (NSL). He faces a potential life sentence for his peaceful pro-democracy campaigning and his work at Apple Daily. The NSL has been heavily criticised by many governments, international bodies and civil society organisations. The United Nations human rights office and UN expert bodies have repeatedly expressed concerns about the NSL, stating the broadly worded legislation can lead to “discriminatory or arbitrary interpretation and enforcement which could undermine human rights protection”. Amnesty International has called the NSL “dangerously vague and broad” with widely defined “catch-all offences used in politically motivated prosecutions with potentially heavy penalties.”
Mr Lai’s NSL trial was due to commence this week (on Monday 25th September) but has been postponed again.
Today, marking his 1,000th consecutive day in prison, many Parliamentarians, Governments, NGOs, journalists and human rights campaigners have joined forces to highlight Mr Lai’s case and call for his release.
Speaking today, Sebastien Lai said:
“Today marks 1,000 consecutive days that my 75-year-old father has been imprisoned for standing up for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong. I’m continuing my call for the free world to keep standing up for him and to demand that the Hong Kong government release my father.”
Sebastien Lai has written in more detail in today’s Times, available here.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC said:
“Mr Lai is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned due to his work as a peaceful pro-democracy campaigner, writer and media owner. For 1,000 days China and Hong Kong have attempted to silence him, by prosecuting him for illegitimate reasons, under an illegitimate law, and in a legal system which is now profoundly unfair. The entire process is riddled with breaches of Mr Lai’s internationally protected rights.
Today we call on the UK Government and the international community to now take robust action to protect Mr Lai’s fundamental rights and secure his immediate release – before it is too late. Otherwise, we may see a British man die in prison for being a peaceful pro-democracy campaigner, and for being a journalist.”
Mr Lai is represented by an international legal team led by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, which includes Jonathan Price, Tatyana Eatwell, Jennifer Robinson and Clare Wisson. The international legal team have filed a number of urgent appeals with the UN Special Procedures, including to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), as Mr Lai’s detention is arbitrary and unlawful because he is being detained for exercising his internationally protected rights. A group of UN experts have raised complaint with China on the basis of these urgent appeals.
