China - Hong Kong: Son of media mogul Jimmy Lai to address the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of PEN International
Photo: Jennifer Robinson
Update - 30 June: PEN International is outraged by China’s attempt to prevent Sebastien Lai from completing his oral statement to the United Nations Special Rapporteur and the Human Rights Council.
We view China’s request that the Human Rights Council President “interrupt” Sebastien’s oral statement to be a clear interference of Sebastien’s right to freedom of expression.
As an NGO with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, we consider China’s attempt to silence Sebastien Lai, who was speaking on behalf of PEN International, to be clear attempt to obstruct our ability to raise human rights issues at the United Nations Human Rights Council
We welcome the President of the Human Rights Council’s decision to allow Sebastien to conclude his oral statement, and for the comments from Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, who expressed his support and solidarity with Sebastien Lai.
On the third anniversary of the National Security Law, we continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai.
A recording of the session can be found here (Sebastien’s statement takes place at approximately 2:23:00).
28 June 2023: Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, will address the 53rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of PEN International during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule. In his address, Sebastien Lai will urge the Special Rapporteur and the Council to raise his father’s case, and the increasing criminalisation of protest and opinions critical of the government in Hong Kong, with both the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.
Writer, activist and media publisher Jimmy Lai has been continuously imprisoned since December 2020 following his initial detention in August 2020 on multiple charges, in relation to his journalism and activism. Lai has already served multiple prison sentences for exercising his right to peaceful assembly, including a 13-month sentence for briefly appearing at a vigil on 4 June 2020 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. He faces further charges under the National Security Law (NSL), which could result in a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
PEN International has continuously campaigned for Jimmy Lai’s release since his initial detention, and most recently launched a joint letter-writing campaign during World Press Freedom Day with English PEN.
PEN International calls on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai and to drop all charges against him. The organisation also calls on the authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations and uphold the right to freedom of expression for all. Journalism is not a crime.
A transcript of Sebastien Lai’s intervention is available below:
Thank you for the opportunity to address the Council for International PEN.
If you'd told me 2 years ago that someone from my family would be addressing the UN, none of us would have expected that family member to be me.
We would all have expected it to be my dad.
I'm Sebastien Lai, and my father is Jimmy Lai. He isn't here because he is in prison in Hong Kong. That's why today I have to be his voice.
My father has served lengthy prison sentences for exercising his right to peaceful protest.
For peaceful attendance at pro-democracy demonstrations. For lighting a candle at a Tiananmen Square massacre vigil.
Now, he is awaiting trial under the National Security Law for defending liberty. He faces life in prison.
The China and Hong Kong SAR governments tried to silence my dad by throwing him in jail.
But that silence is deafening. Today I want the whole world to hear his story.
There is a broader trend of the Hong Kong SAR government locking up people who criticise them. There are now over 1,400 political prisoners. At 75, my dad is the oldest – and I fear I may never see him again.
I call on Hong Kong to stop criminalising those who peacefully protest and advocate for democracy. And to drop all charges against my dad, before it is too late.
Background
Jimmy Lai is a veteran human rights activist, writer, and owner of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, which was once regarded as Hong Kong’s most prolific pro-democracy news outlet before it was forced to close by the authorities on 24 June 2021.
On 10 December 2022, Human Rights Day, Lai was sentenced to a total of five years and nine months’ imprisonment for violating the terms of a commercial lease for the headquarters of Apple Daily’s parent company. He faces further charges under the National Security Law (NSL), which could result in a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Lai’s ongoing detention is emblematic of the NSL’s devastating impact on freedom of expression and press freedom across Hong Kong and is illustrative of the authorities’ willingness to use the legal system to silence dissenting voices.
Before Apple Daily was forced to close, Lai wrote a letter to his staff from prison, telling them that ‘freedom of speech is a dangerous job’ and that ‘it is time for us to stand tall with our heads held high’. He received a twelve-month sentence just days later.
Note to editors:
To arrange media interviews, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, [email protected]
For further information please contact Ross Holder, Head of Asia/ Pacific Region at PEN International. Email: [email protected]