US EditionTrump urges Xi to free Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai
Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to consider releasing 78-year-old Jimmy Lai, convicted under Hong Kong's national security law, amid concerns over his health and press freedom, U.S. officials said.
- On Dec. 15, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he asked CCP leader Xi Jinping to consider releasing Jimmy Lai, saying `I feel so badly`.
- Hong Kong's High Court found Lai guilty on three national security charges after a 152-day jury-less trial, where prosecutors accused him of colluding with foreign forces and publishing seditious material and Lai testified for 52 days.
- Jimmy Lai, 78 and diabetic, has spent over 1,800 days in detention since late 2020, with family members reporting his health has rapidly declined in custody.
- The UK summoned China's ambassador and condemned the conviction, calling for Lai's immediate release, while U.S. officials including Marco Rubio urged release on humanitarian grounds and denounced suppression of dissent.
- Next month, Hong Kong authorities will hold a mitigation hearing for Jimmy Lai on Jan. 12, 2026, with sentencing and a possible appeal decision by Robert Pang to follow, raising media freedom concerns.
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30 Articles
The publisher Jimmy Lai was one of the main figures of the Hong Kong democracy movement; after a conviction, he is threatened with life imprisonment. The US President is now asking China's head of state and party.
Trump Asked the Chinese President to Release Convicted Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Media Mogul Jimmy Lai
Donald Trump wants Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong newspaper publisher and pro-democracy activist who was found guilty of violating China's national security law on Monday, the Guardian reports. "I'm very sorry. I spoke to President Xi about this and asked him to reconsider releasing him. He's an old man and he's not in good health. That's why I asked for it. We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters on Monday.…
The US president personally asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for it in a phone call. Democracy activist Lai was recently convicted
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