The pro-democracy newspaper founder received the harshest sentence ever given under Hong Kong's controversial National Security Law
Share
The decision by a Hong Kong court to hand pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai a 20-year jail term is a “death sentence”, his son has told LBC.
British national Lai, 78, was sentenced on Monday after being found guilty of national security offences in December last year.
The mogul is the founder of the defunct pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, which hit out against the governments in both Hong Kong and Beijing.
Speaking to LBC’s Andrew Marr, Mr Lai’s son, Sebastien, said it is now likely his father will die behind bars.
“My father's 78. In 20 years, he'll be nearly 100. But in the conditions he's in, given his deteriorating health, I don't even think he'd be able to serve a tenth of that,” he said.
Sebastien branded the sentencing a “slap in the face to the British” after Sir Keir Starmer pleaded with China’s leadership to free Mr Lai during a recent visit.
He said: “Look, we're talking about warming relationships with China.
“I think the phrase they use is a normalisation of relationships.
“How can we normalise something like this? And it seems like we've given so much away, including the embassy, including the trip. What have we got?”
When pressed on whether Sir Keir did enough to free Mr Lai during his visit to China, Sebastien said: “I'm putting my hope in the Government. That's all I can do. I think that I've met with the Foreign Secretary, I've met with the Prime Minister; there is a willingness to get this done.
“All I could do is hope. All I could do is hope. And it's one of those situations where I’ve put my faith in this Government.”
In response to Lai's sentencing, the Government says it "will rapidly engage further" with Chinese authorities on Lai's case and slammed the length of the jail term imposed.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "British National Jimmy Lai was today sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for exercising his right to freedom of expression, following a politically motivated prosecution.
"Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics.
"For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family.
"The Prime Minister raised Mr Lai’s case directly with President Xi during his visit. That has opened up discussion of our most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels. Following today’s sentencing, we will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai’s case."
"We stand with the people of Hong Kong, and will always honour the historical commitments made under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. China must do the same."
Sir Keir Starmer raised Mr Lai’s case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in his visit last month, saying they had a “respectful discussion” on the issue.
Mr Lai was first arrested in August 2020.
His lawyer, Robert Pang, raised concerns about Mr Lai’s health in January, saying he had suffered issues including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and diabetes.