Lord Patten of Barnes issues statement on verdict in the trial of Jimmy Lai
Today, Lord Patten of Barnes, the last British Governor of Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch, issued a full statement in response to the guilty verdict in the trial of Jimmy Lai on three charges under the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
Mr Lai was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security, as well as one count of conspiracy to distribute seditious publications. He has been found guilty of all three charges and could now be sentenced to life in prison.
Hong Kong Watch is publishing Lord Patten’s remarks on the verdict in full below.
Statement from The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes KG CH.
Like everyone who believes in the values of free societies under the Rule of Law, I am horrified but not surprised by the verdict on Jimmy Lai. We should be absolutely clear that this judgement confirms three things.
First, the Chinese Communist Party clearly broke its word about the Joint Declaration, a Treaty signed between Britain and China, which was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong’s freedom and rule of law until 2047. The Jimmy Lai verdict, handed down by politically appointed judges with no jury, is as strong evidence as one could have about China’s contempt for the agreement that it signed, and for its contempt for freedom also.
Second, we need to be clear about why China has targeted Jimmy Lai, a British citizen who has been denied consular access to the UK Foreign Office during his imprisonment. He has also been denied, as a practising Catholic, the ability to attend Mass in prison and receive Holy Communion in his cell.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hates Jimmy Lai because he is an example of the history of so many of Hong Kong’s population. He stowed away to escape communist rule in mainland China and enjoyed economic and political freedom in what was then a British colony. He became a passionate advocate for the freedoms which made Hong Kong such a successful example of the partnership between economic and political freedom.
What the Communists really hated about him was that, even when he could have left Hong Kong in 1997 for Britain, as a citizen here, or for other countries, he chose to stay behind alongside the people of Hong Kong whose human rights he had so long defended and written about. Beijing, and the puppet government in Hong Kong, hates in particular those who have bravely stood up to it.
Having spent almost five years in solitary confinement Jimmy will clearly have to continue to endure further imprisonment. I hope that all in the rest of the world who believe in freedom will call frequently and loudly for his release from captivity.
The Catholic Church should also raise in particular the refusal to allow him in prison to practice as a Catholic.
Finally, I saw Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastian again recently and had a message from Jimmy’s wife. I assured them that all who believe in human rights and decency would continue to campaign for his release. Jimmy is one of the best examples of the dissidents who suffer from tyrannical regimes. Anyone who thinks that the Chinese Communist Party can be trusted or that it is capable of reforming itself should remember Jimmy Lai’s case.
It is of course revealing that one thing that the Chinese Communist Party is terrified of is the freedoms that made Hong Kong so special, and which will eventually lead to change in China itself. I hope this will be accomplished without turbulence.
I trust this Christmas that as many people as possible will speak out for Jimmy and that all Christians will pray for him at this special moment.
The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes KG CH
Governor of Hong Kong 1992-1997.