by Martin Haffner, Staff Writer
Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen is among global leaders advocating for the release of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai, who is currently on trial in Hong Kong on national security charges that many believe are politically motivated.
“They should release him,” Tsai stated regarding Lai. Her remarks followed her speech at the Forum 2000 democracy conference in Prague, marking her first international trip since leaving office in May.
Tsai’s appeal for Lai’s freedom comes just weeks before his trial is set to continue on November 20, when he is anticipated to testify for the first time.
Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, has been in solitary confinement since late 2020. The 76-year-old British citizen faces charges of collusion with foreign entities and sedition, which he denies and which are widely seen as politically motivated.
Reports suggest that the British government requested to postpone Tsai’s visit to the UK due to concerns about provoking Beijing. British Foreign Minister David Lammy is expected to travel to China next week for his first trip there as foreign secretary.
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office told The Guardian, “Ministerial travel will be confirmed in the usual way. We do not comment on speculation.”
Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, hopes that Lammy will address his father’s situation with Chinese officials during his visit.
“I expect him to raise the case,” Sebastien said. “Ultimately, this is about saving my father’s life, and the foreign secretary is in a unique position to help.”
While the UK has called for Jimmy’s release, the government faces criticism from rights activists who argue it isn’t doing enough to advocate for him, as he is a British national.
“They’ve only been in power for four months,” Sebastien noted, referencing the new Labour government in Britain. “Dad’s been in jail for four years. So that’s not an excuse.”
前台灣總統蔡英文是全球領導人之一，呼籲釋放支持民主的出版商黎智英。黎智英目前在香港因國安罪接受審判，許多人認為這些指控具有政治動機。
蔡英文在布拉格的Forum 2000民主會議上發表演講後表示：「他們應該釋放他。」這是她自今年五月卸任以來的首次國際出訪。
蔡英文對黎智英自由的呼籲距離他的審判繼續進行的日期僅有幾週，審判預計將在11月20日進行，而他有望首次作證。
黎智英是現已停刊的香港《蘋果日報》的創辦人，自2020年底以來一直處於單獨禁閉中。這位76歲的英國公民面臨與外國實體勾結和煽動的指控，他否認這些指控，並且這些指控被廣泛視為政治動機。
報導指出，英國政府因擔心激怒北京，曾要求推遲蔡英文的英國訪問。英國外長大衛·拉米預計下週將首次以外長身份訪問中國。
英國外交部的一位發言人告訴《衛報》：「部長的旅行將按照通常的方式確認。我們不對猜測發表評論。」
黎智英的兒子塞巴斯蒂安希望拉米在訪問期間能夠向中國官員提及他父親的情況。
塞巴斯蒂安說：「我希望他能提出這個案件。最終，這是關於拯救我父親的生命，而外長在這方面處於獨特的幫助位置。」
儘管英國已呼籲釋放黎智英，但政府面臨來自人權活動家的批評，他們認為政府對於為他辯護的努力不夠，因為他是英國國籍。
塞巴斯蒂安提到：「他們上任才四個月。」他指的是英國新上任的工黨政府。「爸爸已經被監禁四年了。所以這不是借口。」
