The family of imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon, Jimmy Lai, are putting their faith in Donald Trump to free him.
78-year-old Lai is a devout Catholic, and was the founder of Hong Kong’s last independent publication, Apple Daily. In February, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the longest of its kind in Hong Kong and effectively a life sentence.
Sebastien Lai says his father has been denied the holy sacrament of communion whilst in constant solitary confinement.
Lai holds both US and UK citizenship. His son lives in London, and has only been able to communicate via letter with his father since his arrest.
“My father will die in prison if he's not freed,” Sebastien said. “The Chinese government would be complicit in killing him.”
President Trump is set to attend a summit in Beijing on 14 May. He has previously said he feels “so badly” for his fellow tycoon, and acknowledged that there is “a little bitterness” from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
However, Sebastien believes his father’s release would be “easier to resolve than many of the other complex geopolitical issues the leaders will discuss.”
Ahead of the summit, he told the Telegraph: “I’d like to thank President Trump from the bottom of my heart. We’re so incredibly grateful that he’s taking interest. He cares about my father’s case, and he’s spoken out on his behalf many times."
"If anybody can do this, it would be the president,” he added.