G7 calls for Jimmy Lai's release, China slams interference' in its affairs

"G7 governments call on Hong Kong authorities to end such prosecutions', release pro-democracy media tycoon immediately. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies have condemned the prosecution of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai by Hong Kong authorities, in a move that Chinese officials have dismissed as crude interference in China's internal affairs. On Monday, a panel of three judges found the 78-year-old media tycoon guilty of two counts of conspiring with foreign forces to threaten national security and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material."

"Responding to the statement, China's state-run Global Times newspaper quoted an unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada as saying it represented a crude interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of the basic norms governing international relations. We urge the relevant parties to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, and to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's judicial affairs and China's internal affairs, the spokesperson said."

"Lai, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been in detention for five years since his arrest during a series of antigovernment protests that gripped Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, Chinese authorities introduced a draconian national security law in Hong Kong as part of a harsh crackdown by Beijing on dissent in the territory following the mass protests."

Foreign ministers from the G7 condemned the prosecution of Jimmy Lai and called on Hong Kong authorities to end such prosecutions and release him immediately. A panel of three judges found the 78-year-old Lai guilty of conspiring with foreign forces to threaten national security and of conspiracy to publish seditious material. Lai pleaded not guilty and has been detained for five years since his arrest during antigovernment protests in 2019 and 2020. He will be sentenced early next year and faces the possibility of life in prison. Chinese officials and state media called the G7 statement crude interference and urged respect for China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law.

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