A British bishop has written to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, asking him to do everything possible to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong for nearly six years. Source: Crux.
Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, wrote to Mr Burnham about Mr Lai, who is Catholic and a British citizen.
“Jimmy Lai’s ‘crime’ was to voice concerns, engage in peaceful protest, and publish a newspaper which was critical of oppressive new laws. He was briefly bailed and then re-arrested and denied bail in December 2020,” Bishop Curry said.
“He is held in solitary confinement, and his health is deteriorating rapidly. It is reported that he has no access to the sacraments,” he added.
Mr Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February for colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s controversial national security laws.
China imposed the laws after the 2019 pro-democracy protests that swept the city, which Mr Lai was a figurehead for. The newspaper he founded, Apple Daily, was often fiercely critical of China.
“Around 200,000 migrants have come to the UK from Hong Kong since 2020, many of whom are Catholic. The Church in England and Wales continues to provide pastoral support to all those from Hong Kong who seek it. I also offer my prayers for those who are persecuted because of their faith or political beliefs throughout the world,” Bishop Curry said.
“I ask Catholics in England and Wales to join with me in seeking the intercession of St Maximillian Kolbe for Jimmy Lai, and in seeking the intercession of St Alban and St Frances Cabrini for all those who have had to leave their own country because of persecution,” he added.
Last December, then foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the British government was working hard to secure Mr Lai’s release.
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British bishop calls new PM to bat for jailed Catholic Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai (By Fionn Shiner, Crux)
