Hong Kong bookseller Lee Po could face 10 years in jail for blackmail
Online news site claims Lee was trying to extort money from influential people, but admits claims cannot be verified
The missing Hong Kong bookseller who sold gossipy books about the Chinese leadership could face more than 10 years behind bars for allegedly “blackmailing” the subjects of the books his store published, according to an online news report.
The news of Lee Po’s case came on Tuesday as UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein weighed in and expressed concern over the mysterious disappearance of Lee and his four bookstore colleagues.
READ MORE: Lee Po ‘involuntarily removed’ from Hong Kong to mainland China, says UK government
The UN high commissioner for human rights, who met Chinese officials yesterday in Geneva, urged Beijing “to ensure a fair and transparent procedure for these cases” and visits by family members and lawyers.
This followed London’s criticism of Beijing’s alleged secretive abduction of Lee – who is a British passport holder – in its bi-annual report on Hong Kong last week, saying it was a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.