Jimmy Lai’s Son Pleads in Washington for His Father’s Release Ahead of Xi’s US Visit
Sebastien Lai urged humanitarian release for his 78-year-old father, who is serving a 20-year sentence after conviction under Hong Kong’s national security law.
- On Wednesday, Sebastien Lai testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in Washington, urging his father Jimmy Lai's release one week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States.
- Jimmy Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing, founded a pro-democracy newspaper shut down during a 2019 crackdown. A Hong Kong court sentenced the 78-year-old to 20 years in prison in February under a Beijing-imposed national security law.
- Describing his father as a 78-year-old man who has "already suffered enough," Sebastien Lai requested his release to sit beside daughter Claire, who began chemotherapy in London last week.
- President Donald Trump has previously raised Lai's case with Xi during a May state visit to China; with the two leaders expected to meet in Washington on Sept 24, observers see potential for diplomatic deal-making.
- Sebastien Lai warned that if his father is not freed soon, the aging activist will "most likely die in prison." The 78-year-old faces a 20-year sentence in Hong Kong, underscoring the case's urgency.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Ahead of Xi US visit, Jimmy Lai son urges release of media mogul
Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s national security law.
Families of Jimmy Lai, Min Zin plead in Washington for their release a
Sebastien Lai speaks with reporters after a Congressional Executive Commission on China regarding the continued imprisonment of his father Jimmy Lai on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Jimmy Lai's son seeks release before Xi US visit amid daughter's cancer battle
Sebastien Lai appealed in Washington for the release of his jailed father, Jimmy Lai, before Xi Jinping’s expected US visit. The plea adds humanitarian urgency as the family copes with Claire Lai’s cancer treatment and fears he could die in prison.
Jimmy Lai’s son pleads in Washington for his father’s release ahead of Xi’s U.S. visit
The son of imprisoned former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed for his father’s release at a congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday, one week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the U.S.
Jimmy Lai’s son pleads in Washington for his father’s release ahead of Xi’s US visit – WTOP News
WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of imprisoned former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed for his father’s release at a congressional hearing in Washington on Wed
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