A British bishop has written to the Prime Minister of the U.K., asking for him to do everything possible to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen – and a Catholic – who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong for nearly six years.
Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, wrote to Andy Burnham, the U.K.’s new Prime Minister, who is also a Catholic.
“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,” 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.
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 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,” 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, the then Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the British government was working hard to secure Lai’s release.
“The Government has continually and repeatedly raised Jimmy Lai’s case with China at every opportunity – urging the authorities to agree to his release. Yet the Hong Kong authorities continue to refuse us consular access to our citizen,” she said.
Cardinal Zen and Jimmy Lai
One of Lai’s biggest defenders in the Church has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was formerly the bishop of Hong Kong and has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese government.
Zen baptised Lai in 1997 and the two have been close friends since then. Cardinal Zen was also arrested for suspicion of breaching the national security laws in 2022 and was subsequently convicted of a lesser charge and fined.
RELATED: Cardinal Zen convicted by Hong Kong court, ordered to pay $500 fine
In a 2020 interview with the Catholic News Agency, Zen called Lai’s arrest a clear case of “political intimidation” and “political persecution.”
“Jimmy Lai is obviously the one who runs the only newspaper which is still completely free. You know many other papers are bought by people on the side of government, there may still be some respectable reporters working for them but at the right moment they can suppress everything,” said Zen.
“So, there is a clear policy direction: suppress the freedom of expression,” he added.
Lai’s plight has often been highlighted by those who are critical of the Vatican’s controversial agreement with the Chinese authorities, the full details of which are unknown, with many saying that it gives the Chinese government too much sway in the selection of bishops.
Zen himself said in 2018 that the agreement was “selling out” the Catholic Church in China.
The Vatican released a statement shortly after Zen’s criticising comments that foster “confusion and controversy.”
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