Cardinal Joseph Zen Archives

Jimmy Lai is being held in solitary confinement before his latest trial on conspiracy charges. Photograph: Vincent Yu/AP — Jimi Lai z biyñ hld in solitri cnfînmnt bfr hiz lêtist trîl on cnspiṛsićarjz. Foṭgraf: Vinsnt Yu/AP

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Ɖ Obzrvr vy on Britn’z fībl rspons t Ćîna’z asōlt on hymn rîts

(Transcription of an Observer editorial of 27 Nov. 2022)

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Śí Jinpñ’z rpresiv poḷsi on dsnt in ɖ formr coḷni z startñ t rzmbl a vndeta az Jimi Lai fesz a ny trîl

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Súnde 27 Nvmbr 2022

Ɖ trîl v Jimi Lai, ɖ Hoñ Coñ pro-dmocṛsi campenr n mīdịtîcūn, ẃć z dy t bgin ɖs wīc, marcs anɖr lo pônt in Ćîna’z rlentlis asōlt on indivijl n sivl rîts in Britn’z formr coḷni – huz tṛdiśnl frīdmz Bêźñ z līġli baund t uphold.

Lai, a YC sitizn hu fǎndd ɖ popylr Apl Dêli nyzpepr, fesz ćarjz v cnspiṛsi t publiś sdiśs mtirịl n c’luźn wɖ foṛn pǎrz undr Bêźñ’z dṛcońn 2020 naśnl-s’kṛti lw. Ɖ akześnz r ofnsiv n r’dikḷs. In ifct, Ćîna’z Coḿnist parti z mǎntñ a śǒtrîl.

Lîc hundṛdz v uɖrz biyñ hld wɖt beil, Lai, f faund gilti bî a hand-pict, ʈri-juj panl actñ wɖt a jri, fesz a lîfsntns. H z olrdi in solitri cnfînmnt aftr an rlịr cnvix́n fr unlwfl asmbli n frōd. Lai dnîz ɖ ćarjz. Ɖs p’liticl prṣkśn mst sīs.

Hoñ Coñ’z hyj pro-dmocṛsi protests in 2019-20, ẃć léd t mor ɖn 10,000 arests, wr sparct bî Ćîna’z intṛdux́n v an ilibṛl xtṛdiśnbil. Ɖ fūliśli vayḷnt rspons v ɖ s’kṛtiforsz trnsformd ɖ demnstreśnz intu a stydnt-léd masmuvmnt ćaḷnjñ Bêźñ’z rît t rūl. Fr an oʈoṛterịn, wn-parti sistm, eni sć dsple v dfayns, ẃɖr in Śinjañ, Tibét or in locdǎn-strest Śañhî, z unfgiṿbl. Fr ɖ inṣkr prezidnt, Śí Jinpñ, spredñ dsnt z mor denjṛs ɖn spredñ Covid. Hiz Hoñ Coñ poḷsi nǎ rzmblz a vndeta.

Last wīc’s cnvix́n v Hoñ Coñ’z rspctd Caʈ̇lic līdr, Cardinl Jozif Zen, n fîv uɖr acṭvists śoud agn hǎ litl rspct Śí’z Ćîna hz fr prsnl liḅtiz n līgl obḷgeśnz undr ɖ 1984 Sîno-Britiś jônt decḷreśn. Zen wz faind fr felñ t rejistr a s’portfund fr dtend pṛtstrz. Its aṛgnt n ʈreṭnñ bhevyr on multipl frunts rqîrz a r’bust rspons fṛm Britn. Ẃɖr ɖ iśu z ɖ vayḷnt antics v Ćînīz dipḷmats in Manćestr or insidịs ʈrets t YC acdemic frīdm, guvnmnt diɖrñ, indisiźn n pysiḷniṃti canot cntiny.

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Cardinal Joseph Zen outside the West Kowloon court after he and five others were found guilty of failing to register a support fund for prisoners. Photograph: Jérôme Favre/EPA — Cardinl Jozif Zen ǎtsd ɖ Wst Kǎlūn cort aftr h n fîv uɖrz wr faund gilti v felñ t rejistr a s’portfund fr priznrz. Foṭgraf: Jérôme Favre/YPE

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In 2020, ɖ YS impozd sañśnz on ofiślz involvd in rpreśn in Hoñ Coñ. Britn hz stl t tec eni iqivḷnt steps. Last wīc, Libṛl Deṃcrat MP Aḷster Carmîcl, hu coćerz ɖ ol-parti parḷmntri grūp on Hoñ Coñ, dmandd swift ax́n. “It z vîtl ɖt ɖ guvnmnt implimnts sañśnz on indivijlz hu hv bn îdnṭfaid az d’recli involvd in ɖ sstemic vạleśnz v hymn rîts… L’jitiṃt targits fr sañśnz includ formr ćīf xektiv, Cári Lam, n formr depyti p’līscmiśnr, Cris Tañ,” Carmîcl rout.

It z vîtl ɖt Britn tecs a stand ẃn antīdeṃcratic guvnmnts sć az Ćîna ter p trītiz, rzort t ʈrets n ignor inṭnaśnl lw. Ɖs z ɖ ces wɖ Ćîna’z armd intiṃdeśn v Tîwan, its Sǎʈ Ćîna Sī bŭliyñ, n industrịl n p’liticl espịnāź tarġtñ ɖ wst.Ćîna’z rportd crieśn v “p’līșteśnz” in Yṛpiyn n YS sitiz t monitr n preṣ́rîz oṿsìz disidnts z anɖr ćilñ xampl v un’xptbl activti. Ɖ guvnmnt wz rît t ofr vīzaz t ʈǎzndz v Hoñcoñrz. It wz olso rît last wīc t bloc ɖ tecovr on s’kṛtigrǎndz v ɖ YC’z larjist pṛdysr v semicnductrz bî a Ćîna-ǒnd biznis.

Bt its oṿol aproć t rleśnz wɖ Bêźñ rqîrz rjnt clariḟceśn. Ẃt z Britiś poḷsi? Nwn riyli nz. Spīcñ in Bāli, ẃr a loñ-scejld mītñ wɖ Śí wz abrupli cansld, Riśi Sūnac apird cnfyzd ovr ẃɖr Ćîna wz a “ʈret” or a “sstemic ćalinj”. H cōld it bʈ. Sm Tōriz cōl it an eṇmi.

Sūnac mst sort ǎt hiz îdīaz. Ćîna z on ɖ marć – n Śí tecs no priznrz.

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