Hong Kong slams UK for undermining city’s rule of law with calls to release Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong has condemned the United Kingdom for undermining the city’s rule of law and meddling in local affairs after British authorities pledged to use “every opportunity” to press for the release of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was jailed for 20 years over national security offences.The government issued a strong rebuttal in the early hours of Friday, dismissing London’s comments as “misleading and irresponsible” after the UK expressed concerns over Hong Kong’s erosion of human rights in its latest six-monthly report on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.“The HKSAR government strongly urges the UK again to discern facts from fallacies, respect international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China’s internal affairs,” a spokesman said in a statement.The UK government’s biannual report issued on Thursday covered the period from July to December last year, concluding that there were developments that “undermine” the city’s political autonomy and pluralism with the Beijing-imposed national security law expanding in “scope and practice”.The report highlighted the conviction of Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, describing his trial and 20-year jail sentence as a “politically motivated prosecution”. It also flagged the authorities’ issuance of a new round of bounties targeting Hong Kong pro-democracy activists overseas.Yvette Cooper, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, said London had expanded the British National (Overseas) immigration pathway after Lai’s sentencing to “reaffirm” the country’s commitment to Hongkongers, adding that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had raised the issue directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping in January.“We will continue to use every opportunity to press China to release Mr Lai,” Cooper wrote.