China urges countries to boycott Hong Kong media freedom event

China is pressing countries to boycott a British-organised event at the United Nations in Geneva on media freedom in Hong Kong with the son of a jailed
media tycoon, a letter showed and four diplomats confirmed on Tuesday.
The event on Wednesday titled ‘Media Freedom in Hong Kong’ is being held on the sidelines of the five-week meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Among the speakers is Sebastien Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai who this week marked his 1,000th day in a Hong Kong prison on charges related to the former British colony’s national security law and sedition.
In a letter circulated widely among diplomats at the U.N. in Geneva, China’s mission asked countries “to refrain from participating in this event in any way”.
“Hong Kong-related issues are China’s internal affairs that brook no external interference,” said the diplomatic note reviewed by Reuters.