The UK and US condemned the jailing of British citizen Jimmy Lai, warning his 20-year sentence under Hong Kong’s security law amounts to a life term….reports Asian Lite News
China’s foreign ministry commissioner’s office in Hong Kong on Saturday summoned the heads of the UK, US, Australian and European Union missions over what it called negative comments by their officials on the sentencing of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, according to Arab News.
The office said it expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to the remarks and urged the governments concerned to respect China’s sovereignty and Hong Kong’s rule of law. It also called on them to stop making what it described as “irresponsible” comments on national security cases and to cease interfering in Hong Kong and China’s internal affairs.
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong court sentenced Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing and former media owner to 20 years in prison in a landmark foreign collusion case under the city’s national security law, Arab News reported.
The UK government has sharply condemned the jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warning that the 20-year prison term handed to the 78-year-old British citizen is effectively a life sentence.
Lai, a media tycoon and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in December on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law. He has consistently denied all charges, telling the court that he was being persecuted as a political prisoner for his beliefs.
Reacting to the sentence, Cooper said the prosecution was politically motivated and aimed at punishing Lai for exercising his right to freedom of expression. She said that for a man of his age, the length of the sentence amounted to a life term and raised serious humanitarian concerns.
The foreign secretary said she remained deeply worried about Lai’s health and urged Hong Kong authorities to bring an end to what she described as an appalling ordeal by releasing him on humanitarian grounds so he could be reunited with his family. Her remarks mark one of the strongest public interventions by a UK foreign secretary since Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, echoed those concerns, describing the trial as a “show trial” and saying the outcome had long been expected. Speaking to Sky News, he said the sentence was essentially a life sentence and warned that continued imprisonment risked turning his father into a martyr.
Sebastien Lai said he was still holding on to hope that the authorities might reconsider, arguing that releasing his father would ultimately be in the interests of both Hong Kong and China. He warned that Lai’s death in custody would further damage Beijing’s international reputation at a time of growing scrutiny over human rights.
A Hong Kong court said the sentence fell within the most severe penalty band, citing the “grave nature” of the offences and describing Lai as the “mastermind” and driving force behind alleged foreign collusion conspiracies. The court also said the punishment reflected the seriousness of the national security violations.
Lai founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to close after police raids and asset freezes following the introduction of the national security law. He was first arrested in August 2020, after mass anti-government protests that were later followed by a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
Over the past five years, Lai has already served prison sentences for several lesser offences linked to protest activity. His family says he has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement, which they argue has severely affected his physical and mental health. They say he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.
Hong Kong authorities have pushed back against those claims. The head of the city’s National Security Department said assertions about Lai’s frail health were exaggerated, adding to concerns among rights groups that his condition is being downplayed.
The case has also drawn international condemnation beyond the UK. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentencing unjust and tragic, urging Hong Kong authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole. In a post on X, Rubio said the outcome marked a deeply troubling conclusion to a case that symbolised the erosion of freedoms in the territory.
According to CNN, the sentence imposed on Lai is the longest handed down under Hong Kong’s national security law. The broadcaster reported that the punishment makes him ineligible for parole until he is in his late 90s, effectively ensuring he will spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
The jailing of Jimmy Lai has become a potent symbol of the dismantling of political freedoms promised to Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” framework.
