Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Dooley for allowing me to contribute at this time. I also welcome our guests. In this country, we take for granted media freedom and the right to peaceful protest.When our guests were coming in through the gates of Leinster House today, a peaceful protest was taking place outside. Unfortunately, in Hong Kong that is not the case. Because of the use of the national security law by the Chinese Communist Party, Jimmy Lai and many others have been jailed simply for expressing their opinion. Jimmy Lai is a political prisoner and many other political prisoners are being held in Hong Kong. In a unanimous, cross-party decision of this Chamber, we called out the Chinese Communist Party, not just for what is going on in Hong Kong, but for what is happening with the Uyghur people, in Tibet, against other minorities and for how they use technology against their own people.

I am sure it is on behalf of all the Members of this Chamber that I join the Cathaoirleach in sending our solidarity and support to Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners being held unjustly by the Chinese Communist Party. I ask the Cathaoirleach to continue to raise it with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and that, at every opportunity at EU level and globally, we continue to raise the plight of the people of Hong Kong. We take for granted those important rights in this country and an important part of our foreign policy is that we stand up for those human rights on the global stage.