Jimmy Lai, a critic of the Chinese Communist Party, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following a national security case.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the ruling, stating, “The Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case. It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, casting aside the international commitments Beijing made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
The treaty cited by Rubio involved China agreeing to allow freedom of the press to citizens in Hong Kong.
“After enduring a trial lasting two years, and detention in prison for more than five, Mr. Lai and his family have suffered enough,” the statement added. “The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, also condemned the ruling, declaring it to be the “latest stain on the human rights record of the Chinese Communist Party and the farce of its promise to uphold one country, two systems.”
According to the ruling, Lai was the “mastermind” of conspiracies surrounding collusion and therefore deserves a “heavier sentence.”
Lai’s son, Sebastian, said in a statement following the decision that the “drastic prison sentence” is “devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father.”
“It signifies the total destruction of the Hong Kong legal system and the end of justice,” he added. “After more than five years of relentlessly persecuting my father, it is time for China to do the right thing and release him before it is too late.”
