Hong Kong Watch CEO Benedict Rogers speaks alongside Sebastien Lai and Jimmy Lai's international legal team in Parliament

Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers spoke today at an event in Parliament chaired by Hong Kong Watch Patron Lord Alton of Liverpool, to highlight Jimmy Lai’s upcoming National Security Law trial and call on the British government to demand Mr Lai’s immediate and unconditional release. The event took place ahead of a meeting between Sebastien Lai and the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron.

Mr Rogers joined a panel which also included Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, KC, head of Mr Lai’s international legal team at Doughty Street Chambers, and Mark Sabah, Director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong.

The four speakers, together with Lord Alton, were unanimous in their call on the British government to do more for Mr Lai, and specifically for the UK to join the United States, the European Union and United Nations special rapporteurs on the rights to freedom of assembly and association, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, and others, in calling for Mr Lai’s immediate and unconditional release.

Mr Rogers said Mr Lai’s case is “emblematic” of the dismantling of Hong Kong’s press freedom, freedom of expression, democracy and the rule of law, and cited the increasing threats to freedom of religion or belief in the city, detailed in Hong Kong Watch’s new report, “Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong”. In addition to urging the UK to do more to seek Mr Lai’s release, Mr Rogers urged the UK to lead efforts to ensure that Hong Kong generally, and Mr Lai’s case specifically, feature prominently in China’s Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations next month.

香港監察行政總監羅傑斯聯同黎崇恩及黎智英國際法律團隊負責人在國會發言 齊聲呼籲英政府採取更多行動要求釋放黎智英

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）今天在香港監察贊助人奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）主持的國會活動中發言，提請關注黎智英即將面臨的《國家安全法》審訊，並呼籲英國政府要求立即無條件釋放黎智英。活動在黎智英的兒子黎崇恩與外交大臣甘民樂勳爵（Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton）會面前舉行。

羅傑斯與黎崇恩、英國律師行Doughty Street Chambers黎智英國際律師團隊領袖、御用大律師Caoilfhionn Gallagher和香港自由基金委員會（The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation）英國及歐盟總監Mark Sabah展開討論。

四位講者與奧爾頓勳爵一致呼籲英國政府為黎智英採取更多行動，特別敦促英國效法美國、歐盟和聯合國和平集會自由權和結社自由權特別報告員Clement Nyaletsossi Voule等人，呼籲立即無條件釋放黎智英。

羅傑斯表示黎智英的案件「象徵」着香港新聞自由、言論自由、民主和法治飽受摧毀，並列舉香港宗教或信仰自由所面臨日趨嚴峻的威脅，詳情可見香港監察新報告《出賣我靈：香港宗教或信仰自由即將面臨的威脅》（Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong）。除了敦促英國採取更多行動要求釋放黎智英外，羅傑斯還敦促英國帶頭確保香港整體狀況，特別是黎智英的案件，在下月聯合國對中國的普遍定期審議中佔一重要席位。