PEN INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
03 May 2023
(London, UK) –To mark the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day (3 May 2023), PEN International, the literary and free expression organisation, mobilizes its Centres in support of imprisoned journalist, media publisher, activist and writer, Jimmy Lai, who is currently facing a potential life sentence for his journalism in Hong Kong.
Journalists are the eyes and ears of society. With their work, they meet the need for democratic liberties, a need that can never be erased. They must be able to speak and write about matters of public interest without fear of interference, arrest or other forms of reprisal or persecution. Jimmy Lai is no exception to this. We stand by his side today and every day. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Imprisoned Writers Committee
Owner of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, which was once regarded as Hong Kong’s most prolific pro-democracy news outlet before it was forced to close by the authorities on 24 June 2021, Lai has been continuously imprisoned since December 2020 following his initial detention in August 2020 on multiple charges for his journalism and activism. He has already received several convictions of unauthorised assembly for his participation in peaceful pro-democracy protests, including a 13-month sentence for briefly appearing at a vigil on 4 June 2020 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
On 10 December 2022, Human Rights Day, Lai was sentenced to a total of five years and nine months’ imprisonment for violating the terms of a commercial lease for the headquarters of Apple Daily’s parent company. He faces further charges under the National Security Law (NSL), which could result in a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Lai’s ongoing detention is emblematic of the NSL’s devastating impact on freedom of expression and press freedom across Hong Kong and
is illustrative of the authorities’ willingness to use the legal system to silence dissenting voices. In addition to Lai, a dozen journalists are currently detained, and the chilling effect caused by the NSL has resulted in a climate of self-censorship across the territory, with several media outlets having dissolved in an effort to protect their staff from potential prosecution under the law for their critical journalism.
Before Apple Daily was forced to close, Lai wrote a letter to his staff from prison, telling them that ‘freedom of speech is a dangerous job’ and that ‘it is time for us to stand tall with our heads held high’. He received a twelve-month sentence just days later.
For over a century, PEN International’s global membership has been mobilising in support of an independent and free press, defending journalists who have been threatened, imprisoned and sometimes killed for speaking truth to power, and urging political leaders to guarantee
freedom of expression, recognised by the United Nations as a driver for all other human rights.
PEN International calls on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai, and to drop all charges against him. We also call on the authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations and uphold the right to freedom of expression for all. Journalism is not a crime.
Note to editors:
- Ross Holder, PEN International’s Head of Asia/ Pacific Region will be available for interviews
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