Australia is deeply concerned by the guilty verdict handed down to Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong today.
We have been clear in expressing our strong objections to Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation to arrest and pressure pro-democracy figures, opposition groups, media, trade unions and civil society.
As the Foreign Minister has said, the Australian Government will continue to raise human rights concerns directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments regularly and at the highest levels. We continue to call on China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, consistent with Human Rights Committee recommendations, and call for the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
