Hong Kong/Sydney, November 11, 2023 (KAP/KNA) In a petition, ten Catholic bishops call for the release of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai. In a country “that claims to defend the rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression”, there is no place for such cruelty and oppression, cites the Australian Episcopal Conference portal “CathNews” of the appeal.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher and Lithuanian Archbishop and President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences Gintaras Grusas are two of ten bishops from around the world calling for the immediate and unconditional release of prominent Catholic Lai. Other signatories are the two cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, head of the Rome-affiliated Syro-Malankara Church in India; also bishops from Ireland, Canada, Nigeria and Great Britain.
Lai has been advocating for democracy in Hong Kong for years. With his tabloid “Apple Daily”, founded in 1995 and now banned, he supported the democracy movement in the Chinese special administrative region. In August 2020, Lai was arrested on charges of “collusion with foreign powers” and “conspiracy to defraud.”
Lai is still awaiting his trial, which was scheduled to begin in December 2022. The hearing was postponed due to the question of whether British lawyer Timothy Owen could take over Lai’s defense. Following Beijing’s intervention, foreign lawyers are barred from participating in national security cases. After a further postponement in August, the trial is now scheduled to begin in December.