James Cleverly’s shameful silence on the fate of Jimmy Lai

Have you heard about the British citizen facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a Chinese prison? Perhaps not, because the case – the cause, indeed – of Jimmy Lai has not attracted quite the level of attention in this country that you might expect. 

Last week, Lai – founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper – was convicted of fraud in Hong Kong. To the outside, lay, observer the case seemed suspicious: it involved the subletting of an office and a five year prison term, a disproportionate response even if you accept – as you need not – a crime had been committed. 

The fraud case, however, is merely an amuse bouche. The real action comes when Lai, who is 75, will be tried for, among other things, sedition under the terms of Hong Kong’s now-infamous National Security Law. That is what brings the potential for a life sentence assuming – and I think we may indulge this assumption – the court returns a guilty verdict.