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The British parliament on Thursday hosted a debate on UK nationals arbitrarily detained overseas that spotlighted the case of Jimmy Lai. Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP led a discussion on Britons held abroad at risk of human rights abuses during which legislators from all major parties raised the urgent need for more to be done to free the British pro-democracy publisher. “Jimmy Lai is a hero, and his case is emblematic of the crackdown on media, civil society, and the rule of law in in Hong Kong,” Duncan Smith said.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP sporting a ‘Free Jimmy Lai’ badge led the House of Commons debate.
In response, foreign minister Hamish Falconer MP reaffirmed the government’s commitment to introducing a special envoy for complex consular cases and a new right to consular assistance for UK citizens detained abroad.
CFHK Foundation UK and EU Director Mark Sabah said, “We applaud all the MPs who took part in this important debate and for keeping this issue at the top of the agenda. However, it’s high time for words to end and action to begin. The British government must bring Jimmy Lai home, along with all other wrongfully detained British citizens.”
In the U.S., Representative Josh Gottheimer added his name as a co-sponsor of the Hong Kong Sanctions Act (HR6153). The legislation, introduced by Rep. Young Kim, Rep. John Curtis, and Rep. Jim McGovern in 2023, requires the U.S. president to determine whether Hong Kong officials, judges, and prosecutors have violated human rights and should be sanctioned consistent with the Magnitsky Act.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is sending district councilors and other local officials to mainland China for surveillance training. Hong Kong’s Home and Youth Affairs Secretary, Alice Mak, told the Legislative Council that 18 officials had been sent to Zhejiang province to learn how to emulate China’s “red armband” brigade of citizen volunteers who monitor neighbours on behalf of the authorities.
Three more of the Hong Kong 47, the Australian citizen Gordon Ng, Lam Cheuk-ting, and Michael Pang have appealed their convictions and sentences two weeks after the High Court handed them prison terms of at least six and a half years on charges of "subversion" under the National Security Law.
Cathay Pacific pulled a “Family Guy” episode that referenced the 1989 Tiananmen massacre from its inflight entertainment system after a customer complained on social media that the item broke national security laws. The airline apologised to customers and vowed to investigate the oversight.
Jimmy Lai’s Trial Update
Jimmy Lai’s show trial reached its 100th day on Monday with him continuing to defend himself against the charge of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.” Lai emphasised that rather than fighting on behalf of the U.S., as suggested by the prosecution, Hong Kongers were simply defending their freedoms against encroachment from the authorities in Beijing.
The court heard evidence that Lai had stated he was prepared to go to jail because of his activism. Asked if this meant he had planned to engage in “illegal activities,” Lai responded, “I am now in jail. I don’t think I’ve done anything illegal, but I’ve been in jail for four years.”
Detailed trial updates are available here: Support Jimmy Lai
‘The Troublemaker’ Release Week
Mark Clifford, President at the CFHK Foundation launched his new biography of Jimmy Lai, “The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic,” in Washington, D.C, kicking off a busy week of promotional activities that highlighted both Jimmy Lai’s case and the Foundation’s work.
The Wall Street Journal reviewed the book in glowing terms, calling it “sympathetic and inspiring” while The Washington Free Beacon wrote that “Clifford skilfully sketches the life of a remarkable man, weaving it through the tragic history of Hong Kong, now effectively run by Beijing.” Coverage of the book also featured in The Economist’s World in Brief and Politico’s China Watcher newsletter.
Clifford spoke with Gary Schmitt, senior fellow in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies program at the American Enterprise Institute, about “The Troublemaker,” exploring Jimmy Lai’s rise to fame and entrepreneurial success, his two-decade campaign for democracy in Hong Kong, and the political persecution he suffered at the hands of the Chinese regime.
CFHK President Mark Clifford in conversation with Gary Schmitt at AEI.
Touching on core CFHK Foundation campaign issues, Clifford told the Washington Examiner that “HSBC and Lord Neuberger have become knowing accomplices in a regime that has sent nearly 2,000 Hong Kongers to jail on political charges in the past five years.”
A column in Fortune focused on the impact the crackdown on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong has had on the city’s reputation as a place to do business: “When a successful businessman can be jailed just for doing his job, it suggests that no one should feel wholly comfortable doing business in Hong Kong,” Clifford said.
Clifford also spoke with The Diplomat: “Jimmy Lai’s life story is the story of Hong Kong,” he said, adding that and that Lai’s jailing exemplifies the crushing of freedom following the 2019 summer of democracy.
The Free Press published an excerpt from the book detailing Jimmy Lai’s life in Stanley Prison. “He doesn’t feel the injustice” of his captivity, marvels his wife, Teresa. “He is so free. It is incredible.”
🔥 Flame of Freedom Blog
In Washington DC, a New Administration Brings Hope for Hong Kong
This blog is authored by Jonathan Stivers, U.S. Director at the CFHK Foundation.
“Moving forward, it is my hope that Sen. Rubio is confirmed swiftly by the U.S. Senate and can get to work with his team to address the multifaceted challenges that the Chinese Communist Party presents to the U.S. and the international community. Consistent with his previous work on China and Hong Kong, he will have strong bipartisan support from Members of Congress and the American people to make U.S. policy towards China’s human rights abuses much more effective.”
Read more here.
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