25 July 2024 –The National Security Law (NSL) trial of British citizen Jimmy Lai has been delayed once again in Hong Kong as Lai prepared to take the stand in his defence. This latest delay comes on Lai’s 1,301st day of prison, much of it passed in solitary confinement.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK Foundation) condemns the delay of Jimmy Lai’s testimony as another attempt by authorities to silence his voice and draw out this sham trial. This postponement marks yet another instance of using Hong Kong courts to suppress voices who are guilty of nothing more than peacefully advocating for democracy in Hong Kong.
The 76-year-old entrepreneur and owner of the now defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily founded the publication to advocate for the freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, its mini-constitution, and the Sino-British declaration. Lai is accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious information.
Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his defence has pointed out that press freedom and freedom of speech are protected by Hong Kong’s Basic Law as well as by international covenants.
The trial has completed its 92nd day of what was expected to be an 80-day proceeding. It will resume on November 20th.
The repeated delay in Lai’s trial not only prolongs the unjust incarceration of a 76-year-old but undermines the legal process and raises serious concerns about the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Mark Clifford, President of the CFHK Foundation said:
“It is an outrage that my former colleague, a 76-year-old British citizen committed to non-violence, should be held arbitrarily in solitary confinement and subjected to a phony trial. Jimmy simply believes in freedom and wanted only for the Chinese government to live up to the promises it made to the people of Hong Kong – and to the world – that the city would continue to enjoy its longstanding freedoms after the Chinese government took over the former British colony in 1997. Prosecutors showed that his “crime” was nothing more than committed journalism and standing up for the people of Hong Kong. Each delay in the trial is not merely a procedural issue, but a deliberate tactic to silence any opportunity for Jimmy to defend himself. We urge the British and U.S governments to work for his immediate and unconditional release.”
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