Trump appeals to Chinese language chief Xi Jinping after Jimmy Lai convicted beneath Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation in case stated to symbolises collapse of media freedoms within the metropolis.
United States President Donald Trump has personally appealed to Chinese language President Xi Jinping to launch imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, saying he was deeply involved concerning the 78-year-old’s well being following his conviction.
On Monday, Hong Kong’s Excessive Court docket discovered Lai guilty on three charges in his nationwide safety trial, a ruling condemned by rights teams as a decisive blow to press freedom within the Chinese language monetary hub.
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Prosecutors accused Lai of orchestrating conspiracies to encourage international governments to take motion towards Hong Kong or China, and of publishing materials that “excited disaffection” towards Chinese language authorities. Lai pleaded not responsible and now faces a potential life sentence following his responsible verdict.
“I spoke to President Xi about it, and I requested to think about his launch,” Trump instructed reporters on Monday, with out saying when he made the request to Xi.
“He’s an older man, and he’s not properly. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what occurs,” Trump stated.
Trump met Xi in October in South Korea, the place he’s believed to have raised Lai’s case with the Chinese language chief. Shortly after Trump’s feedback on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the decision underscored Beijing’s dedication to suppress dissent.
Rubio stated the conviction confirmed China’s resolve to “silence those that search to guard freedom of speech and different basic rights”.
Lai based the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid newspaper Apple Day by day and have become one of the crucial distinguished pro-democracy figures focused beneath Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation.
“Reviews point out that Mr. Lai’s well being has severely deteriorated throughout greater than 1,800 days in jail,” Rubio stated within the assertion. “We urge the authorities to deliver this ordeal to an finish as quickly as potential and to launch Mr. Lai on humanitarian grounds,” he stated.
Jimmy Lai has spent over 1,800 days in jail. I echo President Trump’s name for Beijing to conclude this ordeal and launch Mr. Lai.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 15, 2025
The UK additionally criticised the conviction of Lai as a “politically motivated prosecution” and referred to as for his speedy launch.
Lai, who has been detained since late 2020, is a British citizen. His son Sebastien stated that the UK wanted to extend stress on Beijing.
“It’s time to place motion behind phrases and make my father’s launch a precondition to nearer relationships with China,” Lai’s son stated at a information convention in London.
Lai’s daughter, Claire, stated her father would abandon political activism if free of jail.
“He simply needs to reunite along with his household. He needs to dedicate his life to serving our Lord, and he needs to dedicate the remainder of his days to his household,” she instructed the Related Press in Washington.
“My father is essentially not a person who operates on unlawful floor,” she stated.
A religious Catholic, Lai has drawn help within the US from a free coalition of democracy advocates, press freedom teams and Christian activists, a constituency that kinds a key a part of Trump’s political base.
The compelled closure of Lai’s Apple Day by day in 2021, as soon as identified for its fiercely crucial reporting, marked a turning level for Hong Kong’s media panorama. Information organisations have since scaled again crucial protection of China amid fears of prosecution in Hong Kong, whereas the town’s international press freedom rating has fallen sharply, dropping to a hundred and fortieth out of 180 international locations, in line with advocacy group RFA.
“Though it’s an anticipated verdict, when the information got here out, the sensation of ‘lastly it’s right here’ hit us,” stated Edward Li, a former editor at Apple Day by day at present residing in Taiwan.
“Not solely does Hong Kong not have Apple Day by day; Hong Kong not has a robust voice to criticise and monitor the federal government…, which is why we really feel the necessity to fill that function,” Li stated.
