A leading Christian human rights campaigner and a close friend of jailed Catholic media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, has urged Christians worldwide to pray for his release.
He has warned that the 20-year prison sentence could prove fatal without urgent international pressure.
Benedict Rogers, a Christian and co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said the verdict marked a critical moment for Lai, describing prayer and global advocacy as essential to securing his freedom.
Speaking to Premier Christian News, Rogers said the sentence was “the kind of sentence that we anticipated”, but added it was “absolutely appalling and shocking”.
He said his thoughts and prayers were with Lai, “his very courageous wife, Theresa, and his children”, noting that his son Sebastian and daughter Claire had campaigned tirelessly for their father.
Lai, 78, a prominent Roman Catholic lay leader and founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, was sentenced on Monday in Hong Kong’s largest national security case.
Judges convicted him of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious material, describing him as the “mastermind” behind the conspiracies.
Lai denied all charges, calling himself a political prisoner.Lai arrived in court with his hands held together in prayer, smiling and waving at supporters. Six former Apple Daily staff members, an activist and a paralegal were also sentenced to between six and ten years.
Rogers told Premier that he believed that Lai was “singled out” because they see him as “the mastermind of the democracy movement”, adding that he was influential, wealthy and “courageous”.
Lai’s faith was “absolutely central” to his life, saying he had spent years in solitary confinement “reading, praying, and drawing pictures of the Lord on the cross”, Rogers said.
He added that Lai had been denied Communion for much of the past five years.
Warning of Lai’s deteriorating health, Rogers said he suffered from diabetes, a heart condition and severe weight loss, adding that the sentence was “in effect, a life sentence, and you could say a death sentence”.
He called on Christians to pray for Lai’s release on humanitarian grounds and to also pray for persecuted believers across China.