Moolenaar, IPAC: Jimmy Lai “Verdict Makes a Mockery of the Rule of Law”

Jimmy Lai, the founder and ex-Chairman of Apple Daily, was found guilty of bogus charges brought by Hong Kong prosecutors in a verdict announced on Monday. The courageous 78-year old Hong Konger has been imprisoned for years on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign nations. The CCP-controlled Hong Kong court will sentence Lai next month.

Chairman John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China joined leaders from around the world in denouncing the verdict, signing on to a statement released by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance of China (IPAC). Moolenaar is the U.S. co-chair of IPAC.

IPAC STATEMENT ON JIMMY LAI VERDICT

We, members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), condemn in the strongest terms the unjust and vindictive verdict imposed upon Jimmy Lai by the Hong Kong authorities—a verdict that makes a mockery of the rule of law and discredits all those responsible for it. 

The acts of which Jimmy Lai is accused would not constitute crimes in any rights-respecting jurisdiction. His non-violent advocacy in support of the Sino-British Joint Declaration should have marked him as a respected figure in Hong Kong, not a target for persecution.

Had the Sino-British Joint Declaration and other binding instruments of international law been honoured by Beijing, this prosecution could never have proceeded. Jimmy Lai’s suffering is therefore due, in part, to the failure of the international community to enforce China’s legal obligations. It is incumbent upon our governments therefor to make clear that grave violations of international law carry consequences for bilateral and multilateral relations. There can be no business-as-usual with a state that persecutes innocent individuals on fabricated grounds.

Jimmy Lai was falsely accused of participating in IPAC’s activities, to the extent that IPAC staff were formally named as “co-conspirators” in his trial. IPAC repeatedly offered to submit exculpatory evidence refuting these claims, which are demonstrably false. The authorities chose to ignore these offers, preferring fabrication over fact. While IPAC would have been honoured to work with Jimmy Lai, no such collaboration ever took place.

This was a sham trial that fell far short of international fair-trial standards. Among numerous egregious violations of due process, Jimmy Lai was denied legal representation of his own choosing. He was subjected to prolonged solitary confinement without adequate healthcare, and to violations of his religious freedom, including the denial of Holy Communion. His health has now seriously deteriorated, to the deep distress of his family and of people around the world. 

Together with governments, civil society organizations, and people of good will, IPAC members across the world have repeatedly and consistently called for Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release. These calls have been met with silence.

At this tragic juncture, we again call upon our governments to condemn this travesty of justice - a pre-determined verdict that condemns the Hong Kong authorities far more than the British citizen they have chosen to persecute.

We reaffirm our admiration for Jimmy Lai, our solidarity with his loved ones, and our concern for the many other political prisoners in Hong Kong, for whom his verdict signals a dark and dangerous future. We are united in mourning the loss of the rule-of-law in Hong Kong, together with the erasure of so much of what once made the city the admiration of the world.