Daily Express editor Gary Jones was among 116 global news leaders who signed a letter calling for Mr Lai’s release and expressing support for his battle for media freedom.
Fiona O’Brien, UK bureau director at Reporters Without Borders, said Hong Kong had seen the sharpest decline since the organisation launched its World Press Freedom Index two decades ago – falling from 18th position to 140th.
She added: “The national security law is essentially a piece of legislation that gives China a licence to harass any journalists it doesn’t much like with the veneer of legality.
“We’ve seen that play out over the past few years. China has used the national security law and laws to prosecute at least 28 journalists in Hong Kong. As we sit here today, at least 12 of those – including Jimmy Lai – are in prison.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “British national Jimmy Lai’s case is a priority for HMG which has been raised on multiple occasions with the Chinese Government, most recently when the Foreign Secretary spoke to Wang Yi last week.
“Mr Lai’s prosecution has been highly politicised – he and others are being deliberately targeted to silence criticism under the guise of national security.”
NEWS CREDIT
