US President Donald Trump says he has asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to “consider” releasing Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon who earlier this week was found guilty under the city’s controversial national security law.
“I feel very bad,” Trump told reporters. “I spoke to President Xi about this and asked him to consider his release.”
The UK also called for the 78-year-old’s “immediate release”, and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the ruling, calling it “politically motivated persecution”.
Lai, who is a British citizen, has been in prison since December 2020 and will be sentenced early next year. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Trump made the brief comment to reporters at the White House on Monday, but did not specify when he had raised Lai’s case with Xi.
“He’s an older man and he’s not feeling well. So I made that request. We’ll see what happens, okay?” he said.
His comments come after a Hong Kong court on Monday found Lai guilty of collusion with foreign forces.
The verdict was welcomed by Hong Kong chief executive John Lee, who said Lai’s actions had “harmed the country’s interests and the well-being of Hong Kongers”, but human rights groups called it “a cruel judicial travesty”.
“He has been persecuted by the governments of China and Hong Kong for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Monday, calling for Lai’s “immediate release.”
He added that the Foreign Office had summoned the Chinese ambassador to “underline our position in the strongest terms”, adding that it was “heartbreaking that such a violation of the rights of a Briton could occur in Hong Kong”.
China’s Foreign Ministry had on Monday dismissed criticism of Lai’s trial, calling it “blatant defamation and defamation of Hong Kong’s judicial system.”
Lai was convicted on Monday under the city’s controversial national security law, which human rights groups say is used to crush dissent but which Beijing defends as essential to the city’s stability.
He was also convicted of publishing seditious material on Apple Daily under a separate colonial-era law.
His arrest and conviction have raised concerns among human rights groups and foreign leaders, who have long called for his release.
His children have raised serious concerns about Lai’s deteriorating health in prison, with Sebastien telling the BBC earlier this year that, given his father’s age and health, he could “die in prison.”
