The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday “strongly condemned” the “political persecution” by Chinese authorities after Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s National Security Law.
In a statement, MAC said it “condemns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Hong Kong government for using national security as a pretext to suppress freedom and human rights.”
As Taiwan’s top government agency handling cross-strait affairs, MAC urged the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to “stop the political persecution and immediately release Lai.”
Photo: EPA
Citing what it described as Hong Kong’s “painful experience,” MAC urged the public in Taiwan to safeguard their “hard-won freedoms” and called on the international community to remain alert to Beijing’s erosion of human rights and to stand with Taiwan in “defending the democratic front line.”
The Democratic Progressive Party in a statement yesterday “strongly condemned the CCP’s human rights abuses” and called for Lai’s immediate release.
“We also lament that, under the shadow of the CCP’s authoritarian rule, Hong Kong has suffered devastating damage — making today the darkest day for Hong Kong’s democracy,” it added.
International rights groups also condemned the sentencing.
“This court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism,” Reporters Without Borders director-general Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.
Bruttin urged democratic nations such as the UK and the US to exert pressure on Chinese authorities to secure the release of Lai — a British citizen — and other imprisoned journalists, warning that Lai’s 20-year prison term “must not become a death sentence.”
Amnesty International said the sentence marked “another grim milestone” for Hong Kong.
“Imprisoning a 78-year-old man for doing nothing more than exercising his rights shows a complete disregard for human dignity,” Amnesty deputy regional director Sarah Brooks said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
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