U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke at a press conference today honoring Jimmy Lai, a political prisoner in Hong Kong.
“The treatment of Jimmy Lai by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments is shameful and a travesty of justice. Mr. Lai has done nothing wrong – he is in prison for peaceful support of democracy and for publishing a newspaper, nothing more,” stated Risch.
Risch criticized the conditions under which Lai is being held, noting, “Holding anyone – but especially a 76-year-old man with health issues – in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison for over 23 hours per day is cruel and inhumane. So is China’s denial of Mr. Lai’s access to independent physicians and specialized medical care for treatment of diabetes and its long-term complications. This highlights just how little the Chinese government values life.”
Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Risch said, “This is a critical time. It is more urgent than ever that the international community support Mr. Lai through every means possible. I thank his son, family, and lawyers for their bravery. And I urge his immediate and unconditional release.”
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