Trial of Jimmy Lai

That the Parliament condemns the actions of the Chinese government regarding what it considers is the unjust National Security Law trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner and entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, who, it understands, has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail; notes reports that Lai pleaded not guilty to the charges; understands that he faced a court with no jury under what it sees as a new Beijing-imposed National Security Law; further understands that the latest charges to be brought against him reportedly saw Jimmy Lai, and six executives of his companies, accused of breaching this law by conspiring to commit collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security; understands that Hong Kong previously had a jury-based trial system, which had been in place since 1845, and that the legislation was reversed in 2020 by the Chinese Government, despite a commitment to honour the "one country, two systems" principle in the context of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984; further understands that Lai attended a peaceful protest on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen square massacre despite a reported ban on such demonstrations, for which he subsequently served time in jail, and commends him for this, and calls on the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to respect the human rights of journalists, pro-democracy activists and all residents of Hong Kong.