Statement on Jimmy Lai's Verdict

December 15, 2025
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We, members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), condemn in the strongest terms the unjust and vindictive verdict imposed upon Jimmy Lai by the Hong Kong authorities - a verdict that makes a mockery of the rule of law and discredits all those responsible for it. 

The acts of which Jimmy Lai is accused would not constitute crimes in any rights-respecting jurisdiction. His non-violent advocacy in support of the Sino-British Joint Declaration should have marked him as a respected figure in Hong Kong, not a target for persecution.

Had the Sino-British Joint Declaration and other binding instruments of international law been honoured by Beijing, this prosecution could never have proceeded. Jimmy Lai’s suffering is therefore due, in part, to the failure of the international community to enforce China’s legal obligations. It is incumbent upon our governments therefore to make clear that grave violations of international law carry consequences for bilateral and multilateral relations. There can be no business-as-usual with a state that persecutes innocent individuals on fabricated grounds.

Jimmy Lai was falsely accused of participating in IPAC’s activities, to the extent that IPAC staff were formally named as “co-conspirators” in his trial. IPAC repeatedly offered to submit exculpatory evidence refuting these claims, which are demonstrably false. The authorities chose to ignore these offers, preferring fabrication over fact. While IPAC would have been honoured to work with Jimmy Lai, no such collaboration ever took place.

This was a sham trial that fell far short of international fair-trial standards. Among numerous egregious violations of due process, Jimmy Lai was denied legal representation of his own choosing. He was subjected to prolonged solitary confinement without adequate healthcare, and to violations of his religious freedom, including the denial of Holy Communion. His health has now seriously deteriorated, to the deep distress of his family and of people around the world.

Together with governments, civil society organisations, and people of good will, IPAC members across the world have repeatedly and consistently called for Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release. These calls have been met with silence.

At this tragic juncture, we again call upon our governments to condemn this travesty of justice - a pre-determined verdict that condemns the Hong Kong authorities far more than the British citizen they have chosen to persecute.

We reaffirm our admiration for Jimmy Lai, our solidarity with his loved ones, and our concern for the many other political prisoners in Hong Kong, for whom his verdict signals a dark and dangerous future. We are united in mourning the loss of the rule-of-law in Hong Kong, together with the erasure of so much of what once made the city the admiration of the world. 

Signed: 

Fatmir Mediu MP, Albania
Sen. Claire Chandler MP, Australia
Sen. Deborah O'Neill, Australia
David Smith MP, Australia
Admir Čavalić MP, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dr. Dennis Gratz MP, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Adi Kalem MP, Bosnia & Herzegovina
James Bezan MP, Canada
Prof. Irwin Cotler, Canada
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay MP, Canada
Judy Sgro MP, Canada
Garnett Genuis MP, Canada
Sen. Pavel Fischer, Czechia 
Rep. Hayato Okamura, Czechia 
Rep. Juan Espinal, Colombia
Petras Austrevicius MEP, European Parliament
Miriam Lexmann MEP, European Parliament
Engin Eroglu MEP, European Parliament
Bernard Guetta MEP, European Parliament 
Erik Marquardt MEP, European Parliament 
Sandro Gozi MEP, European Parliament
Lukas Sieper MEP, European Parliament
Boris Mijatovic MdB, Germany
Malcolm Byrne TD, Ireland
Barry Ward TD, Ireland
Sen. Michael McDowell, Ireland
Joash Nyamoko MP, Kenya 
Avdullah Hoti MP, Kosovo
Juris Viļums MP, Latvia
Žygimantas Pavilionis MP, Lithuania
Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania
Aleksandra Vukovic MP, Montenegro
Fatmir Bytyqi MP, North Macedonia 
Rashela Mizrahi MP, North Macedonia
Ingrid Leary MP, New Zealand
Laura McClure MP, New Zealand
Jan Patternotte MP, Netherlands
Tom van der Lee MP, Netherlands
Guri Melby MP, Norway
Dep. José Ramos, Panama
Dep. Francisco Brea, Panama
Sen. Eduardo Nakayama, Paraguay
Dep. Guillermo Rodreguiez, Paraguay
Adrian Amatong, the Philippines
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, The Philippines
Christian Ghinea MP, Romania
Dobrica Veselinović MP, Serbia
Peter Kenilorea Jr. MP, Solomon Islands
Ann-Sofie Alm MP, Sweden
Magnus Berntsson MP, Sweden
Niels Paarup-Petersen MP, Sweden
Fabian Molina MP, Switzerland
Rep. Janice Chen, Taiwan
Rep. Fan Yun, Taiwan
Volodymyr Ariev MP, Ukraine
Yulia Klimenko MP, Ukraine
Mykola Kniazhytskyi MP, Ukraine
Oleksandr Merezhko MP, Ukraine
Sviatoslav Yurash MP, Ukraine
Luke Akehurst MP, United Kingdom
Lord Alton of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Phil Brickell MP, United Kingdom
Sarah Champion MP, United Kingdom
Bobby Dean MP, United Kingdom
Graeme Downie MP, United Kingdom
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, United Kingdom
Alicia Kearns MP, United Kingdom
Baroness Helena Kennedy, United Kingdom
Christine Jardine MP, United Kingdom
Chris Law MP, United Kingdom
Lord Mackinlay of Richborough, United Kingdom
Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms, United Kingdom
James Naish MP, United Kingdom
Marie Rimmer MP, United Kingdom
Lord Shinkwin, United Kingdom
Alex Sobel MP, United Kingdom
Rep. John Moolenaar, United States
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, United States
Sen. Jeff Merkeley, United States
Janet Rice, IPAC Alumni Council (Australia)
Gabriela Ferrel, IPAC Alumni Council (Bolivia)
Luciana Campero, IPAC Alumni Council (Bolivia)
Kevin Vuong, IPAC Alumni Council (Canada)
Reinhard Bütikofer, IPAC Alumni Council (European Parliament)
David Lega, IPAC Alumni Council (European Parliament)
André Gattolin, IPAC Alumni Council (France)
Louisa Wall, IPAC Alumni Council (New Zealand) 
Catalin Tenita, IPAC Alumni Council (Romania) 
Stewart McDonald, IPAC Alumni Council (United Kingdom)
Tim Loughton, IPAC Alumni Council (United Kingdom)

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