2 October 2024 – Amnesty International has declared Jimmy Lai, the former owner of the Apple Daily newspaper, a "Prisoner of Conscience" and called for his immediate release. The announcement also named fellow Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi from China as “Prisoners of Conscience”.
Human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, along with the free media advocate Jimmy Lai, are all currently imprisoned because of their human rights activism and support of free speech and democracy. Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung have both been targeted amidst a crackdown on human rights and civic space in Hong Kong since the introduction of a Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) in 2020.
Lai faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in his ongoing national security trial. The Hong Kong courts have already convicted Lai on four separate cases involving “unauthorised assemblies”, for his engagement in peaceful protest – including attending a Tiananmen Square vigil.
Lai, who will turn 77 in December, has been held in solitary confinement for nearly four years, and there are serious concerns about his health and access to treatment. He has faced lengthy delays in his NSL trial which begun in December 2023, and it is currently expected to continue in November 2024.
Chow Hang-tung has also been subjected to repeated and prolonged solitary confinement for multiple charges including asking her social media followers to light candles in memory of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Chow faces a separate prison sentence for “inciting subversion” under the NSL for her organisation of Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil.
Jimmy Lai, Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi have all been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China Director said: “By designating Chow, Lai and Ding as prisoners of conscience, we stand with all those unjustly detained for saying out loud what they believe to be true. All three – along with the many others imprisoned in Hong Kong and mainland China solely for their beliefs – must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation and former board member of Apple Daily owner Next Digital said:
“Jimmy Lai could not be more deserving of this recognition. He chose to stay in Hong Kong knowing he would face imprisonment rather than leave the people of Hong Kong behind and escape the ongoing crackdown on the city by the authorities and the Chinese Communist Party. I also want to express my admiration and support for Chow Hang-Tung who has bravely faced the Hong Kong authorities with dignity and defiance as well as expressing my support for Ding Jiaxi.”