Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) condemned the fraud charges against a British pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong through a statement released in conjunction with other members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
“Jimmy Lai is a man of integrity and character – a strong advocate for press freedom and democracy, a man of faith, a devoted husband and father and a hardworking entrepreneur. The Chinese Communist Party is using bogus fraud charges to smear Mr. Lai’s reputation and justify an additional sham National Security Law (NSL) trial in December,” Risch said, according to the committee’s press release. “We have not forgotten the plight of Hong Kongers, Mr. Lai and the many other political prisoners in Hong Kong. The international community is closely watching Mr. Lai’s so-called ‘fraud’ conviction and future NSL trials.”
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been convicted of fraud in a Hong Kong court for allegedly violating a lease by operating a consulting firm out of an office owned by a government-owned entity, NBC News reported. Lai, a British citizen, had already been serving jail time for participating in gatherings during the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, as well as for holding a vigil in 2020 for victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Lai, age 74, pleaded guilty and will appear again in court in December, at which time he will be tried under a new national security law, according to NBC News. He could face life in prison if convicted of “colluding with foreign forces” and is also accused of working to produce “seditious publications.” The new national security law was implemented by Beijing as a response to the pro-democracy protests. Several other people associated with Apple Daily, the pro-democracy tabloid founded by Lai, and parent company Next Digital, are also being charged.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about the new national security law and the way it is being used to erode human rights and “fundamental freedoms,” Reuters reported. Price said there have been “increased efforts” to use the law “to suppress independent media, to silence dissenting views and to stifle freedom of speech.”
The statement condemning the “sham trial” and fraud charges against Lai in Hong Kong was released in conjunction with Foreign Relations Committee members Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
