{"id":39800,"date":"2023-12-18T07:39:03","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T07:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamiheatnation.com\/?p=39800"},"modified":"2023-12-18T07:39:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T07:39:03","slug":"david-cameron-orders-hong-kong-to-release-pro-democracy-campaigner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamiheatnation.com\/world-news\/david-cameron-orders-hong-kong-to-release-pro-democracy-campaigner\/","title":{"rendered":"David Cameron ‘orders’ Hong Kong to release pro-democracy campaigner"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has called for the release of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, on the day the publisher and activist goes on trial in Hong Kong accused of sedition. The landmark national security trial opened today, with Mr Lai facing a possible life sentence if convicted under a law being imposed by China in an attempt to silence dissent against its authoritarian government.<\/p>\n

Mr Lai, 76, was arrested in August 2020 as part of a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement during massive protests four years ago. He was subsequently charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to put out seditious publications.<\/p>\n

Lord Cameron Last week, Lai\u2019s son Sebastien met with Lord Cameron, to lobby for Britain\u2019s help in freeing his father, who holds British citizenship.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued yesterday, he branded the security law a \u201cclear breach\u201d of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its continued use shows China has broken its international commitments.<\/p>\n

British and Chinese authorities signed the agreement in 1984, stipulating that Hong Kong would retain a high degree of autonomy and freedoms for 50 years.<\/p>\n

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Lord Cameron said he was particularly concerned by Mr Lai\u2019s \u201cpolitically motivated prosecution\u201d, urging Chinese officials to repeal the security law and release Lai. He continued: \u201cJimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.”<\/p>\n

The closely watched case – which is linked to the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily which Mr Lai founded – is seen as a key test for the freedom of the press, as well as a test for judicial independence in the former British colony.<\/p>\n

China promised Hong Kong could retain its civil liberties for 50 years after returning to Chinese rule in 1997. But recently, its government has severely restricted free speech and assembly and virtually eliminated political opposition under the rubric of maintaining national security.<\/p>\n

Many leading activists have been arrested, silenced or forced into self-exile. Mr Lai\u2019s trial is Hong Kong\u2019s first on charges of colluding with foreign forces. It also targets three companies related to Apple Daily.<\/p>\n

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The US condemned Lai’s prosecution and urged authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to respect press freedom, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. He said: \u201cWe call on Hong Kong authorities to immediately release Jimmy Lai and all others imprisoned for defending their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chairpersons of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China said in a statement that the trial is a \u201cpolitical prosecution plain and simple and another sad example of the Hong Kong government\u2019s increasingly repressive policies.\u201d They also called for Mr Lai’s release and urged authorities to drop the charges against him.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the opening statements, Mr Lai’s lawyer Robert Pang, facing the prosecution in court, said the sedition charge his client was facing didn’t follow the due course of law. Mr Pang argued the law required the prosecution of sedition charges to begin within six months after an alleged offence was committed, saying the prosecutors failed to do it within that time frame in Mr Lai\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

Three judges, approved by the government, are overseeing the proceedings, with the trial expected to last about 80 days. Last year, six former Apple Daily executives entered guilty pleas to collusion charges, admitting to the court they conspired with Mr Lai to call for sanctions or other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. All were convicted and await sentencing behind bars.<\/p>\n