Jimmy Lai jailed for 20 years: Yvette Cooper calls for ‘appalling ordeal’ to end

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has called on Hong Kong’s authorities to end the “appalling ordeal” of jailed pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai.

The 78-year-old British national was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday under a security law imposed by China.

Eighteen years of the sentence for conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious articles will run consecutively with a term of five years and nine months for fraud.

In a statement posted on X by the Foreign Office, Ms Cooper described the prosecution as politically motivated and said Mr Lai had been “exercising his right to freedom of expression”.

“Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics,” she said.

“For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence.

“I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family.”

Sir Keir Starmer raised Mr Lai’s case with Chinese leader Xi Jingping in his visit last month, saying they had a “respectful discussion” on the issue.

Ms Cooper said the visit had “opened up discussion of our most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels” and that the Government would “rapidly engage further” on the case.

“We stand with the people of Hong Kong, and will always honour the historical commitments made under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration,” she said. “China must do the same”.

Mr Lai, who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper which criticised the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing, was arrested in August 2020.

His lawyer Robert Pang raised concerns about Mr Lai’s health in January, saying he had suffered issues including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and diabetes.