Italy backs calls for release of imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai
Italy calls for release of imprisoned British news tycoon Jimmy Lai
- Italy has joined the US and UK in demanding the release of Briton Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong for five years.
- Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, is awaiting a verdict on charges of sedition and collusion under Hong Kong’s national security law, facing a potential life sentence.
- Italy’s special envoy for religious freedom, Davide Dionisi, stated the foreign ministry would use political and diplomatic tools to secure Lai's release, noting he was jailed for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.
- Donald Trump previously indicated he would raise Lai's case with Chinese president Xi Jinping, following a joint letter from US lawmakers highlighting Lai's deteriorating health.
- Lai's son, Sebastien Lai, has campaigned for his father's release, expressing concern over his father's health, including diabetes and heart issues, after nearly four years in solitary confinement.