US lawmakers hold hearing on plight of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, as Hong Kong slams ‘hypocrisy’

Hong Kong authorities have condemned US lawmakers for holding a hearing on jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai and colluding with “anti-China and destabilising elements” to demand his release ahead of a planned summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.

The government said in a statement on Thursday that it “firmly rejected” members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a US government agency that monitors human rights in China.

After a hearing with Lai’s son Sebastien on Wednesday, CECC leaders introduced a bill aimed at securing the release of Lai and other “democracy advocates, journalists, former legislators, and civil society leaders” imprisoned in Hong Kong. Claire Lai was also scheduled to testify alongside her brother but pulled out due to a recent cancer diagnosis.

“Jimmy Lai was sentenced to an appalling 20-year prison sentence simply for exercising his God-given rights and standing up for the people of Hong Kong,” CECC chair Senator Dan Sullivan said. “He should be released immediately.”

Co-chair Representative Chris Smith called Lai’s sentence “unjust, politically motivated [and] an affront to free speech and human dignity.”

‘Nothing to do with freedom of the press’

Lai was sentenced in February to 20 years in jail, following his conviction on foreign collusion and sedition charges under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The 78-year-old was accused of using his newspaper, Apple Daily, to lobby foreign nations to impose sanctions, blockades, or other hostile activities upon China and Hong Kong. He was also accused of inciting hatred against the authorities with op-eds published in the now-shuttered tabloid.

“The [Jimmy] Lai Chee-ying case has nothing to do with freedom of the press at all,” the Hong Kong government statement read, adding that “defendants have used journalism as a guise to wantonly create social conflicts, incite social antagonism, incite hatred and glorify violence, bringing harm to our country and Hong Kong.”

“These countries and their politicians, including the so-called CECC, display their hypocrisy and double standards by pointing fingers at the HKSAR for our work in safeguarding national security,” it said.

In a separate statement, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council also condemned what a spokesperson called “maliciously provocative political maneuvering and alarmist talk by some politicians.”

‘Humanitarian grounds’

Lai’s son and daughter, Sebastien and Claire Lai, have lobbied Western governments to press for their father’s release, alleging that he is being held in solitary confinement without air conditioning and his health is deteriorating.

The CECC and the United Nations have called for Lai’s release on humanitarian grounds, citing his age, health, and the impact of the years he has already spent in detention.

The Hong Kong government statement also hit back at these claims, stating that “medical services received by Lai Chee-ying in custody are undoubtedly adequate and comprehensive,” and the Correctional Services Department “has been providing adequate medical attention.”

Xi Jinping is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday next week, four months after Trump’s state visit to Beijing in May.

Trump said he mentioned Lai’s case during their summit in May, but Xi signalled that Lai’s release was “unlikely.”

Freeing Lai is a “tough one for him to do,” the US president said.

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