The United Reformed Church has joined with an international coalition of Christian leaders to stage a joint plea in calling for the release of Jimmy Lai and other imprisoned political activists as part of a Chinese New Year Amnesty.
The letter, signed by Catholic and Protestant leaders from across Europe – including the Revd Clare Downing, Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly – North America and Asia, is addressed to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam who herself is a professed Roman Catholic.
The letter was delivered in person on the eve of 31 January by the Revd Fung Chi Wood, former Hong Kong Legislator and Priest of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Anglican Church, and Father Franco Mella, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.
Jimmy Lai, founder of the now defunct Apple Daily newspaper, faces potential life imprisonment if found guilty of charges of foreign collusion, sedition and fraud under Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law. Jimmy Lai is currently serving 20 months in jail for taking part in an unauthorized peaceful Tiananmen Square Massacre Vigil in June 2020.
In the letter, the coalition expressed their real concern that Jimmy Lai, who spent his 74th birthday in jail:
“May spend the rest of this years in prison” and that should this happen it “would be a sad injustice and raise unfortunate doubts as to China’s continued commitment to the ‘one country, two systems’ model and the tolerance it engenders”.
The letter finishes with a solemn plea to have compassion on his life and wellbeing, and to correct this injustice”.
Before saying: “We will continue to hope and pray for his eventual release, as well as for the wellbeing and prosperity of Hong Kong and all the peoples of the whole Chinese nation.”
Speaking to the letter, IPAC member, the Lord Bishop of St Alban, Dr Alan Smith said:
“The deteriorating situation of Jimmy Lai and others detained under the National Security Law, and the threat of life in prison, is a terrible injustice.
“In this festive season Jimmy Lai should be celebrating with his family and loved ones. Instead he is in a Hong Kong jail facing the prospect of life imprisonment. In the spirit of the Chinese New Year and the Christian principle of forgiveness, I hope this letter will speak to the humanity of those within the Hong Kong Government to show mercy.”
The National Security Law, which caused huge protests across Hong Kong in 2019, established crimes for subversion and collusion with foreign organisations, and allowed for those remanded to be extradited to mainland China. Penalties for subversion and collusion range between a minimum of three years and a maximum of life imprisonment.
Jimmy Lai is set to have a court hearing for these charges on 24 February at West Kowloon Magistrates Court.
Jimmy Lai is the founder of Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s only Chinese language mass circulation pro-democracy daily newspaper until its forced closure in June 2021.
Image: Jimmy Lai outside the Court of Final Appeal. Pakkin Leung @Rice Post, CC BY 4.0