The Hong Kong government condemned a decision by UK Foreign Office Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan to meet Tuesday with lawyers for the imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai, and accused the British government of interference in its domestic affairs.
(Bloomberg) — The Hong Kong government condemned a decision by UK Foreign Office Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan to meet Tuesday with lawyers for the imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai, and accused the British government of interference in its domestic affairs.
Hong Kong’s government “opposes and condemns the so-called international legal team and the British government’s attempts to undermine the rule of law and interfere with its independent judiciary,” the territory said in a Chinese-language statement on Tuesday. “We will never allow any foreign force or person to interfere in the judicial process.”
Lai is in prison after being found guilty of fraud in October by a court in the former British territory under China’s sweeping security legislation. He’s one of several prominent pro-democracy activists to have been charged under the law, which asserts global jurisdiction for cases involving terrorism, secession, subversion and collusion with foreign powers. Lai, the founder of Next Digital Ltd., had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters about the meeting in London between Trevelyan and Lai’s legal team, and said the UK has provided support to Jimmy Lai for some time.”
The British government has “been clear that the Hong Kong authorities must end their targeting of pro-democracy” dissidents including Lai, he said. The UK will “always support rights and freedoms and the rule of law.”
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