Jimmy Lai will not appeal conviction, paving way for political negotiations over release | Jimmy Lai
Leading pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong, has said he will not appeal his sentence.
The verdict marks the end of a years-long legal saga for the 78-year-old critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and opens the door to political negotiations for his release.
A member of Lai’s Hong Kong legal team said: “We can confirm that we have clear and unequivocal instructions not to appeal the conviction or sentence.”
Lai, a British national, was sentenced to prison in February after being convicted in December on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Although Lai escaped a life sentence, the 20-year sentence was the harshest sentence handed down in Hong Kong for national security crimes. His family said this could mean he would ‘die a martyr behind bars’.
Western governments, including the United Kingdom, have declared Lai’s trial to be politically motivated and called for his immediate release.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that the decision was against international law and should be overturned.
British prime minister Keir Starmer is understood to have raised Lai’s case during his recent meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Lai’s son Sebastien later said Britain had not done enough to secure his father’s release during the highly anticipated trip to China.
The decision not to appeal the conviction ends Lai’s legal process and could be the beginning of a political process that could lead to his release.
Western governments have previously secured the release of citizens held by China, including Australian journalist Cheng Lei and Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were imprisoned after a fight between Beijing and Ottawa over the detention of a Huawei executive.
But while all of these cases are linked to worsening bilateral relations, Lai has been an outspoken critic of the CCP, a regime that treats dissidents harshly.
Lai’s lawyers did not elaborate on why he did not appeal.
An appeals court in Hong Kong recently overturned separate fraud convictions against Lai, for whom sentences had already been served. The multiple lawsuits filed against the once powerful media mogul have been described by his supporters as “civil litigation,” a use of the legal system to silence critics.
US President Donald Trump is expected to visit China between March 31 and April 2. Trump has previously said he asked Xi to “consider” releasing Lai, who said Trump was “the only person who can save” Hong Kong from the CCP’s tightening grip.
Chinese and Hong Kong officials defended Lai’s conviction and said it had nothing to do with press freedom.
The UK Foreign Office and the Hong Kong government have been approached for comment.
