As pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai faces a potential life sentence in the high-stakes national security case in Hong Kong, his son Sebastien Lai has denounced the proceedings as a politically motivated “show trial” driven by a China-led crackdown on dissent.
Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is facing charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials, all of which are crimes under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law, which was imposed by Beijing. Lai denies all the charges.
Sebastien paints a harrowing picture of his father’s ordeal – years of detention under dire conditions – and underscores his unwavering commitment to democracy, press freedom, and the people of Hong Kong in an interview with The Independent.
Condemning his father’s ongoing prosecution, Sebastien says that the 77-year-old media tycoon should never have been arrested. “The trial shouldn’t even be happening. He shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place,” he says.
Introduced in 2020, the law marked a turning point in the city’s pro-democracy movement, coming a year after grassroots-led protests against Beijing’s increasing influence erupted in 2019. Sparked by a controversial extradition bill, the protests saw hundreds of thousands march in defiance, with some demonstrators vowing to fight to the death for democracy.
Prominent figures like Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow became faces of the movement, but the crackdown that followed the protests led to mass arrests and the exile of many activists. On Tuesday, Wong was among 45 pro-democracy activists sentenced to up to 10 years in prison under the national security law.
Lai was another prominent target of Beijing’s clampdown. His newspaper, known for its critical coverage and pro-democracy stance, became a lightning rod for the Chinese government’s ire during the protests.
In August 2020, 200 police officers raided Apple Daily’s offices and arrested Lai. Less than a year later, in June 2021, a second raid involving hundreds of officers led to the arrests of five executives, including the editor-in-chief and CEO. A week later, the paper ceased publication.
“Jimmy Lai is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the series of riots that shook Hong Kong. He is an agent and henchman of those hostile to China,” Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, declared during a press briefing in Beijing.
Now in custody for more 1,400 days, Lai faces three charges: two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of sedition. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces a life sentence. Lai has already been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for a separate fraud case linked to Apple Daily.
Sebastien calls the case politically motivated, designed to silence his father’s pro-democracy voice and the broader freedom of speech movement in Hong Kong.
“Raising concern to an elected official abroad is not a collusion,” Sebastien says, when asked about Lai’s meeting in 2019 with the then-US vice president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo to discuss the political crisis in Hong Kong.
“Collusion suggests that there’s some nefarious benefit. That is what you ‘collude for’ right? And in my father’s case, the biggest stretch, and I mean, the only stretch you can make is this – that the benefit was democracy,” he says, calling the charges “insane”.
Sebastien raises concerns about his father’s health as he describes the torment he has endured during solitary confinement.
“The goal of solitary confinement is to break the person,” he says. “He’s been kept in horrible prison conditions ... no natural light, and the idea is to break him – physically, mentally, and spiritually.
“That’s a level of isolation beyond what is legally acceptable. It’s not looking good for him physically,” he says.
At his age and with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, Lai is frail. “Physically, he is not doing too well,” his son admits. “He’s got back problems, diabetes. It’s a cocktail that doesn’t bode well for one’s health.”
Despite the toll, he says there is a bittersweet comfort in knowing his father’s mental and spiritual resilience remains intact. “I saw the testimony with everybody else on Twitter, but he seemed to be doing well mentally – still very sharp. His testimony was strong,” he shared.
“He’s committed to journalism and to the importance of journalism in Hong Kong.”
During the trial, Lai denied allegations that he had sought foreign intervention in Hong Kong’s affairs. Specifically, he rejected claims that he had tried to influence US officials, including Pence and Pompeo, to support Hong Kong’s democracy protests. “I would not dare to ask the vice-president to do anything,” Lai testified in court.
He described his interactions with these officials as merely relaying information about the situation in Hong Kong. In a case that has drawn international attention, diplomats from the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Switzerland, and Ireland attended the court in support of Lai, with many Western nations having denounced the charges against Lai and his trial. The United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently called for his immediate release, echoing concerns that the trial is a violation of his rights.
Critics, including human rights organisations and Western governments, argue that Lai’s prosecution is part of a systematic effort by Beijing to erase dissent and suppress the press in Hong Kong.
Yet, despite all, Lai’s commitment to Hong Kong’s democracy remains unshaken, his son says. “He knew he was a target from the start ... but he stayed to defend his people. He made the right choice.
“My father is a deeply faithful man. It gives him tremendous strength. I think what keeps him going is knowing he did the right thing.” Sebastien urges people to “say a prayer for him”.
“If a man who fought for freedom for the last 30 years deserves anything, it’s to be free immediately,” he says.
