The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong in London released a report on April 23 detailing the catastrophic impact of the National Security Law (NSL) on media freedom and expression in Hong Kong.
The report follows a lengthy inquiry that examined the case of pro-democracy activist and British citizen Jimmy Lai, who the NSL has targeted. Lai, 75, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, has been silenced and detained unlawfully in Hong Kong without hope of a fair trial.
The report, launched at a special event in the House of Commons, includes recommendations for the UK government to take immediate action to support Lai and other pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
The main recommendations include treating the case of Jimmy Lai as a political priority, imposing targeted sanctions against those responsible for Lai’s detention, coordinating with like-minded states to advocate for Lai’s release, and using all possible leverage to improve human rights in Hong Kong.
Co-chair of the APPG on Hong Kong, Alistair Carmichael MP, emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and media in any democracy, calling the case of Jimmy Lai an example of autocracy at its worst. He criticized the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal repression of the people of Hong Kong, stating that the regime in Beijing is in ongoing breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong.
The report calls for the UK government to improve the human rights situation in Hong Kong, including refusing official travel of Hong Kong and Chinese representatives to the UK until clear commitments addressing the raised issues are made and implemented, exploring all possible options to engage in the case of Jimmy Lai, the attack on media freedom in Hong Kong, and the violation of the Joint Declaration.
“The case of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, shows autocracy at its worst. The seizing of his private company, the shutdown of his publications, and imprisonment over trumped-up charges fly in the face of international law and put the regime in Beijing in an ongoing breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, to which China voluntarily committed. Alistair Carmichael MP, co-chair of the APPG, said.
The report also urged the UK government to revise its Business Advisory to incorporate a wide range of threats posed by the National Security Law to businesses in Hong Kong, including the implications for data protection and access to accurate information for industries such as financial and legal services.
“The UK Government may not have been completely silent, but there is far more that we can and must do to highlight the abuses of rights seen in Hong Kong.” Alistair Carmichael MP mentioned in the report.
All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) in the UK are informal cross-party groups with no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organizations outside Parliament in their administration and activities.
