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The Canadian government has condemned Hong Kong’s conviction of pro-democracy activist and publisher Jimmy Lai, describing it as a sign of the city’s deteriorating human rights situation and calling for his immediate release.
Lai, 78, was
convicted on Dec. 15 in a national security trial on all three charges against him: two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” under the Beijing-imposed national security law, and one count of “sedition” under a colonial-era sedition law. He is the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Lai has pleaded not guilty to all three charges and will be sentenced at a later date. He could face life in prison.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand criticized Lai’s conviction and raised concerns about the continued erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong.
“Canada condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law in Hong Kong and calls for his immediate release,” Anand said in a Dec. 16
statement. “We continue to express our concerns about deteriorating rights, freedoms and autonomy which are enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law.”
Lai, whose trial lasted 156 days, was arrested in August 2020 and has been imprisoned for more than 1,800 days since being charged in December 2020. He has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement–a practice the United Nations considers a form of torture.
Lai was
designated as a prisoner of conscience last year by Amnesty International. Supporters have expressed concern about Lai’s deteriorating health condition. Lai has several chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart issues.
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Minister Anand and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree have previously condemned Hong Kong’s targeting of democracy advocates both at home and abroad. In July, they
criticized Hong Kong’s issuance of arrest warrants for 19 people overseas–including some in Canada–calling it a “deeply troubling escalation” of Beijing’s transnational repression.
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Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar also spoke out against Lai’s conviction, saying “we will never accept this sham trial.” He has previously
condemned Beijing’s human rights abuses against dissidents, spiritual groups, and ethnic minorities, and has
called for stronger measures to counter the CCP’s
transnational repression in Canada.
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“Jimmy Lai is a living repudiation of tyranny,” Majumdar said in a Dec. 15 social media
post. “For speaking truth and defending freedom in Hong Kong, he continues to sit in prison while the CCP tries to silence him under their National Security Law.”
NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Ottawa must work with international partners to secure Lai’s “immediate and unconditional” release on humanitarian grounds. Kwan was born in Hong Kong and has been outspoken against human rights violations by Beijing.
“The conviction of Jimmy Lai marks yet another devastating milestone in the systematic dismantling of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai is not a criminal–he is a prisoner of conscience whose only ‘crime’ is standing up for democracy, freedom of the press, and the rule of law,” she said in a Dec. 15
statement.
“Canada has a moral responsibility to speak clearly and act decisively when fundamental human rights are violated,” she added. “Silence or half-measures only embolden authoritarian regimes and place journalists, activists, and democracy advocates everywhere at greater risk.”
Liberal MP Judy Sgro said Lai’s conviction represents a “troubling use” of Hong Kong’s national security laws to suppress dissent and media freedom. Sgro earlier this year
led efforts to table a unanimous-consent motion to grant Lai honorary Canadian citizenship, but the government paused the motion, with the Office of the Government House Leader saying it does not believe “serious and substantive foreign policy issues should be decided without any debate.”
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“Mr. Lai has been targeted not for any violent wrongdoing, but for representing democratic values–freedom of the press, respect for rule of law, and open discourse,” Sgro said in a Dec. 16
statement. “These are values Canadians hold dear.”
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Prime Minister Mark Carney in October
called for the release of Lai after reporters questioned him about his perceived silence on the issue. Carney said he supports Lai’s release, citing Canada’s support of press freedom.
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“I’m making the point on humanitarian grounds and our support for, as I say, support for freedom of the press, including in Hong Kong,” Carney said during an unrelated
press conference in Etobicoke, Ont., on Oct. 16.
Responding to questions about whether Canada will offer Lai honorary citizenship, Carney said, “we have processes to become Canadian citizens,” adding that Ottawa “first and foremost take[s] responsibility for the citizens of Canada and the residents of Canada.”
Frank Fang contributed to this report.
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Udumbara
