November 14, 2024 – Yesterday in the British Parliament, Ambassador James Cunningham, Chairman of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation and former U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong, urged the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to demand a visit with British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
The hearing, which was Chaired by Alicia Kearns MP, former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the British Parliament, was the first meeting of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs.
CFHK Chairman Ambassador James B. Cunningham (left) testifies alongside Lord Chris Patten of Barnes.
Ambassador Cunningham highlighted that Jimmy Lai has spent almost four years in solitary confinement and that he is not receiving all the medical attention he needs for his diabetes. He went on to contrast the welcome Hong Kong officials still receive in the UK while the US has sanctioned the same individuals for their roles in undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and curtailing its freedoms. He also called on the UK government to eliminate the special status afforded to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London.
The new APPG will conduct investigations into British citizens detained abroad and the Government’s response in securing their release, and will build on advocacy to appoint a Director for Arbitrary Detention within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), similar to the role of the Special Presidential Envoy on Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) in the U.S.
Other speakers at the hearing included: Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, head of Jimmy Lai's international legal team, Lord Chris Patten of Barnes, last Governor of Hong Kong and Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai.
Earlier this year, James Cunningham testified before the Canadian Parliament’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights, where he also called on the Canadian government to press for the release of Jimmy Lai and all political prisoners.
James Cunningham served as Ambassador and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (1999 -2004), Consul General for Hong Kong and Macau (2005-2008), Ambassador to Israel (2008-2011) and Deputy Ambassador and Ambassador to Afghanistan (2011-2014).
Ambassador James Cunningham, Chairman of the CFHK Foundation, said: “The UK government calling for Jimmy Lai’s release is crucial. It is imperative that his case is in public view and that it is part of the agenda that the UK government is developing on China.”
“New leaders coming into government in the UK, U.S., and the EU should cooperate more in trying to secure the freedom of Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners. What would be better than working together to end repression in Hong Kong and freeing the thousands of political prisoners languishing in jail?”
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