Political repression in China must stop, a British activist has urged as he prepares to embark on a 24-hour hunger strike on Christmas Eve.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and chief executive of the British-based Hong Kong Watch, wrote an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for political prisoners in Hong Kong and mainland China to be freed.

He made particular mention of Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital, which publishes Apple Daily. Jailed activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, along with 12 Hong Kong youths detained in Shenzhen, should also be released, he said.

Rogers called the Communist Party regime in China a “bully” that everyone should stand up against.

The rights advocate originally planned to protest outside the Chinese embassy in London, where he was to stay in a cage for 12 hours in line with the theme of “12 Days of Christmas.” Tightened COVID-19 restrictions in the British capital put paid to that plan, however, so he decided to publish the open letter and stage a hunger strike instead.

“I cannot be with my mother this Christmas, due to the pandemic. But there are many people throughout China who are separated from their families and loved ones because of the Chinese Communist Party regime’s inhumane repression,” Rogers said in a press release.

“I cannot, in good conscience, enjoy Christmas celebrations without remembering my Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uighur, Christian, Falun Gong and Chinese dissident brothers and sisters.”

He also encouraged people to buy and drink Australian wine in response to China’s move to impose tariffs of up to 212% on wine imports amid tensions between the two countries.

Rogers’ 12 demands:

1. Free Hong Kong and all Hong Kong political prisoners, especially Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, Ivan Lam and the 12 Hong Kong youths imprisoned in Shenzhen.

2. Stop Uighur genocide.

3. Stop atrocities in Tibet.

4. Stop persecution of Christians and Falun Gong in China.

5. Stop forced organ harvesting.

6. Free Gui Minhai, the Chinese-born Swedish national abducted from Thailand and serving 10 years in prison in China.

7. Free Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the two Canadian hostages detained in China.

8. Free Li Ming-che, a Taiwanese human rights activist jailed in China.

9. End slave labor in global supply chains and say #NoGenocideTrade.

10. End torture in China.

11. To the free world — stop #CCP bullying.

12. To the free world — buy Australian wine and stand up to CCP bullying.

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play