17 October 2024 – Yesterday, PEN Canada, an organisation that promotes literature and defends freedom of expression, presented Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, with the One Humanity Award in absentia.
Since its creation in 2006, the One Humanity Award has been given to international writers, journalists, academics, or honorary PEN members who have endured repression in exercising their freedom of expression.
PEN believes that Lai’s ongoing detention is “emblematic of the devastating impact the 2020 National Security Law (NSL) has had on freedom of expression across Hong Kong,” and his case is “illustrative of the government’s willingness to use the legal system to silence dissent.”
Lai faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in his ongoing national security trial. Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned for nearly four years on National Security Law charges. Lai, who will turn 77 years old in December, has been held in solitary confinement which is prohibited under international law. There are serious concerns about his health and access to medical treatments. His trial under the NSL began in December 2023 but has faced lengthy delays. The trial is currently expected to resume in November 2024.
Jimmy Lai has received Acton Institute’s 2020 Faith and Freedom Award, 2021 Golden Pen of Freedom Award, 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award, 2022 Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Courageous Journalism, 2023 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, 2023 Magnitsky Outstanding Journalist Award, and has been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation and former board member of Apple Daily owner Next Digital said:
“The longer Jimmy Lai stays in prison, the more outrageous the case get. Lai's bravery is not just admirable but also a powerful indictment against tyranny. This award by PEN Canada is further recognition that he is unjustly detained for standing up for freedom. The U.S., Canada, the UK, and all other governments should work together to demand unconditional and immediate release of Jimmy Lai.”
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