US EditionFree Democratic Hero Lai Before He Dies in Prison
Sebastien Lai urges US lawmakers to increase pressure on China and Hong Kong authorities to release his ailing father, imprisoned for over four years on pro-democracy charges.
- In Washington, Sebastien Lai met US officials and lawmakers to urge greater international pressure for his imprisoned father, praising President Donald Trump while calling on France and others to do more.
- Jimmy Lai was arrested in late 2020 and has been jailed since amid Beijing's 2020 draconian security law crackdown, with prosecutors alleging his meetings with foreign officials aimed to collude for sanctions against China and Hong Kong.
- Sebastien Lai described his father's prison conditions as diabetic with limited medical care and solitary confinement without air-conditioning, warning a death would strengthen Jimmy Lai's symbolic status.
- He urged countries to pressure Beijing, warning that harming his father would have very real consequences for Hong Kong, and praised Germany and Britain for their supportive stances.
- Lai's prior ties to U.S. officials are evident in his 2019 Washington visit, where he met then-vice president Mike Pence, while U.S. signals remain mixed as Donald Trump has pledged help yet also spoken warmly of President Xi Jinping.
41 Articles
41 Articles
Roanoke Times
Free democratic hero Lai before he dies in prison
After the more than year-long trial of democratic activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, China's state-selected judges say they'll rule "in good time." Roughly translated: They're in no hurry. Beijing will say when a verdict is due.
Rep. Chris Smith Joins Son of Imprisoned Hong Kong Media Tycoon to Call for His Release
WASHINGTON—Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Sebastien Lai, son of imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, are hoping President Donald Trump will be able to apply some political pressure to secure his release. “We know that he has raised it publicly, and has not shied away,” Smith told reporters at a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday. “That’s how things get done.” Smith, a longtime advocate against human rights violations carried out by th…
FOX 28 Spokane
The Straits TimesKilling Hong Kong’s Lai would strengthen democracy message, son says
Locked up for more than four years and ailing, Hong Kong's pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai would only become a greater symbol if he died in prison, his son said. On a visit to Washington, Sebastien Lai was meeting US officials and lawmakers as he appealed for greater international pressure on China and Hong Kong's
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