100 politicians around world demand release of jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai

More than 100 MPs and politicians from astir the satellite person demanded the merchandise of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai from situation successful Hong Kong up of the resumption of his proceedings connected charges wide denounced arsenic a sham.

MPs from countries including the UK, Australia, Canada, Ukraine and elsewhere person signed a missive calling for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Mr Lai, who is simply a British citizen.

The 76-year-old has been successful jailhouse since 2020, having faced charges implicit his engagement successful pro-democracy protests successful 2019, and fraud. He present faces a beingness condemnation nether China’s nationalist information instrumentality connected charges of sedition and collusion with overseas forces implicit articles successful the Apple Daily newspaper helium founded.

Mr Lai’s son, Sebastien, told The Independent successful October that the household are earnestly acrophobic astir his health. “My begetter volition dice successful jail... This is an contented astir redeeming his life,” Sebastien said. Mr Lai was seen shivering successful tribunal and showed “significant nonaccomplishment of value and expanding frailty” astatine his latest tribunal hearings, according to his planetary ineligible team.

The merchandise of the missive comes aft Keir Starmer rasied Mr Lai’s lawsuit during a gathering with China’s president Xi Jinping connected the sidelines of the G20 acme successful Brazil. In the archetypal gathering betwixt a UK premier curate and China’s person since 2018, Sir Keir said: “We are acrophobic by reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration.”

Sir Keir besides told Mr Xi: “I’m precise pleased that my overseas caput [David Lammy] and [China’s] overseas curate Wang met precocious to sermon respective concerns including connected quality rights and parliamentary sanctions, Taiwan, the South China Sea and our shared involvement successful Hong Kong.”

The unfastened missive demanding Mr Lai’s release, enactment unneurotic by Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, reads: “He is being tried connected trumped-up charges arising from his peaceful promotion of democracy, his journalism and his quality rights advocacy.

“The proceedings itself is tainted with unfairness. It is earlier hand-picked judges, grounds allegedly obtained by torture is being utilized against him, and it has been taxable to lengthy delays.

“On the eve of recommencement of his trial, we urgently request Jimmy Lai’s contiguous and unconditional release.”

The signatories besides see Jeremy Hunt MP, US congressman French Hill and Ukraine’s overseas argumentation committee seat Oleksandr Merezhko.

Ms Kearns added: “Jimmy Lai is being inhumanely persecuted for lasting up for basal quality values. He represents the occurrence of state millions question astir the world.

“We person a work to combat for Jimmy Lai arsenic a British citizen, and to instrumentality a basal against the Chinese Community Party’s erosion of regularisation of instrumentality successful Hong Kong,” she said.

Mr Lai’s lawyers person alleged that helium has been denied entree to specialised aesculapian attraction for his longstanding wellness interest of diabetes.

The ineligible squad said a “lack of specialised aesculapian attraction increases the hazard of semipermanent complications linked to his diabetes owed to the nonaccomplishment to decently negociate his condition”.

Mr Lai has been charged with 4 offences nether China’s nationalist information law, 1 of which included lighting a candle successful commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.

The nationalist information instrumentality was passed pursuing the pro-democracy protests successful Hong Kong successful 2019, which saw millions show against a Bill which would person fixed the city-state’s judicial strategy powerfulness to extradite suspected criminals to look proceedings successful mainland China.