Sebastien Lai urged Chinese and US leaders to secure the release of his father, jailed media founder Jimmy Lai, ahead of President Xi Jinping's Washington visit. He told the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China that his father "poses no threat" and that his imprisonment symbolizes injustice. Jimmy Lai, 78, was sentenced in February to 20 years after convictions under charges including foreign collusion and seditious publication. The sentence is regarded as the harshest so far under Hong Kong's national security law.
Ahead of Xi's Washington Visit, Jimmy Lai’s Son Urges Release of Jailed Media Mogul
Jimmy Lai rose from poverty to become a Hong Kong media mogul and democracy campaigner
Sebastien Lai, the son of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, appealed on Wednesday for his father's release ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.
Speaking at a hearing of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Sebastien made a direct plea to Xi:
"A week from now, President Xi will be a guest in this city. Our appeal to him is simple: my father poses no threat. His imprisonment makes him a symbol of injustice. His death in prison would be a disgrace. Let Jimmy Lai come home to his family."
Background
Jimmy Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison after being convicted on charges including foreign collusion and seditious publication. Rights groups and several governments called the sentence the harshest imposed so far under the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong following the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
The hearing came days before President Xi's scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 24. Trump said in May that he had discussed Lai's case with Xi but considered a release unlikely, calling it "a tough one for him to do."
The case of Jimmy Lai has become emblematic of the broader debate over Hong Kong's freedoms and the reach of Beijing's national security measures. Sebastien Lai urged international and Chinese leaders to prioritize humanitarian clemency so his father can return to his family.
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