Copyright yahoo
Italy has joined the US and the UK in demanding the release of Briton Jimmy Lai, who has been jailed in a Hong Kong prison for the past five years. Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered newspaper Apple Daily, is awaiting a verdict on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong’s draconian national security law. The ailing pro-democracy activist has pleaded not guilty, but faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted. Italy’s special envoy for religious freedom, Davide Dionisi, said the foreign ministry "will play its part" in calling for Lai’s release after meeting the media mogul’s son this week. “It is necessary to work, also in international forums, using the tools of politics and diplomacy, to put an end to Jimmy Lai's suffering," Mr Dionisi said. "He has been in prison since December 2020 for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression," he added. Mr Dionisi's statement comes just days after US president Donald Trump said he would raise Lai's case during his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday. It was immediately unclear whether Mr Trump raised the issue with his Chinese counterpart. Responding to Mr Trump’s remarks, Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, told The Independent: “I am very grateful to President Trump for his commitment to saving my father’s life. We hope that he convinces President Xi to free my father.” The issue of Lai’s case was brought to Mr Trump’s attention in a joint letter penned by Republican senator Rick Scott and signed by more than 30 US lawmakers, urging the president to intervene due to Lai’s deteriorating health. “The humanitarian case for Mr Lai’s release is stronger and more dire than ever, which is why this must be addressed at the highest possible level,” the lawmakers wrote. Sebastien told Sky News that his father has become “visibly gaunt”. "It is torture. He has diabetes. He has heart issues. "Even though he is a man who knows he did the right thing, his spirit is strong, his mind is strong, but his body is breaking down. It is painful to watch,” he added. Hopes of a breakthrough from the Trump-Xi meeting come after a relentless campaign, led by Sebastien, urging the international community to increase pressure on China to release his father, whose high-profile trial is being viewed as a test of press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub. Concerns over Lai’s health delayed the delivery of closing arguments in his trial in August, with the authorities eventually issuing him a heart monitor to be worn during the proceedings. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly four years for his role in the pro-democracy protests of 2019, which eventually ended with Beijing imposing new national security laws in the city. Sebastien has repeatedly warned that his father suffers from diabetes and says he has lost weight due to being denied independent medical care. Sebastien last month said he believed it was in China’s interests to free Lai, warning that he would become a martyr for the pro-democracy movement if he died behind bars. “It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” he said.
