My father Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong imprisonment is not justice – Britain must act now

The jailing of a British citizen under a draconian national security law should halt any pretence of ‘normal’ relations with China, says Sebastien Lai, son of political prisoner Jimmy Lai. Silence is no longer an option

My father, Jimmy Lai, was ludicrously found guilty in a politically motivated trial in Hong Kong of trying to destroy the city he made his home in and which he loves.

His vocal dedication to democracy and human rights has been twisted into a violation of the city’s vague and draconian national security law.

As the owner of the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, he was an obvious target for the Chinese Communist Party-backed government, which viewed him as a symbol of what it feared most: dissent.

One of the longest trials in Hong Kong’s history was an unjust legal process; there was no jury, and he was denied the lawyer of his choosing. The law was passed in the summer of 2020, and my father was arrested within weeks, with prosecutors pointing to things he’d done years before.

We knew that this verdict was coming. But we also know that this is not the end of the story. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the campaign for his release.

Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai was found guilty in Hong Kong of collusion with foreign forces, as well as conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications (AFP via Getty)

The clock is ticking. My father is 78. His health is rapidly deteriorating. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly five years in brutal conditions that few could survive. He has been left to swelter in a tiny concrete cell, his window covered to deny him access to fresh air and sunlight. He has diabetes and suffers from heart palpitations and fatigue – this sometimes kept him away from court during his trial.

My sister, Claire, who has only recently left Hong Kong, reports that he has swelling in his limbs and infections that last for months. She is also concerned that his teeth are rotting and that his nails are turning unusual colours and beginning to fall off. This is not the robust man we knew before his arrest.

But make no mistake, my father is a hero – and his spirit remains strong. Any decent government would applaud his contributions to society. Indeed, governments and legislative bodies around the world have praised his commitment to a free press and basic human rights. Many have called for his immediate release. As a British citizen (he has only ever held a full UK passport, and proudly so), my father wants nothing more than to return to the UK to live out his days with his family in peace.

Next month, prime minister Keir Starmer has a major opportunity to set things right for his fellow citizen. In late January, he is expected to make a trip to China to meet President Xi to improve diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Surely the unjust imprisonment of a British citizen is an obstacle to that goal, and my father should be released before any meaningful talks can take place. How can there be any trust otherwise?

We are grateful for the UK government’s support, and we have confidence that it will see the wisdom in seeking this solution. But releasing my father would also be a wise move for President Xi, who has had to shoulder the embarrassing burden of perhaps the most famous political prisoner in the world being held in the country’s financial capital.

If Hong Kong is to maintain its credibility as an international hub for business transactions backed by the rule of law, it cannot very well keep men like my father in jail.

If I’ve learnt anything from my father, it’s that we must continue to fight for justice. Hong Kong authorities may hope that, now that they have secured their illegitimate verdict, the world will forget him. It’s up to us to prove them wrong.

Sebastien Lai is the son of Hong Kong political prisoner Jimmy Lai