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Italy Joins US and UK in demanding Britain’s release Jimmy brought, who has been to jail in one hong kong Jail for last five years.
Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now defunct newspaper apple dailyHe is awaiting trial on charges of treason and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong’s harsh national security law.
The ill pro-democracy activist has pleaded innocent but faces life in prison if found guilty.
Davide Dionisi, Italy’s special envoy for religious freedom, said the Foreign Ministry would “play its part” to push for Lai’s release after meeting with the media mogul’s son this week.
“It is also necessary to work on international forums, using the tools of politics and diplomacy to end the suffering of Jimmie Lai,” Mr. Dionisi said. “He has been in jail since December 2020 for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression,” he said.
Mr Dionisi’s statement comes just days after US President donald trump Said He will raise the matter of Lai during his meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday in South Korea. It was not immediately clear whether Mr Trump had raised the issue with his Chinese counterpart.
Responding to Mr Trump’s comments, Lai’s son Sebastian Lai said Independent: “I am very grateful to President Trump for his commitment to saving my father’s life. We hope he will convince President Xi to free my father.”
The issue of Lai’s case was brought to Mr Trump’s attention in a joint letter written 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 serious than ever, which is why it must be addressed at the highest possible level,” the lawmakers wrote.
Sebastian told Sky News that his father had become “visibly thin”.
“It’s torture. He has diabetes. He has heart problems.”
He said, “Even though he’s a man who knows he did the right thing, his spirit is strong, his mind is strong, but his body is breaking down. It’s painful to watch.”
Expectations of a breakthrough from the Trump-Xi meeting come after a tireless campaign led by Sebastian urging the international community to step up pressure on China to release her father, whose high-profile trial is being seen as a test of press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.
Concerns over Lai’s health led to a delay in closing arguments at his trial in August, with authorities eventually issuing him a heart monitor to wear during the proceedings. He has been held in solitary confinement for nearly four years for his role in the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which ultimately ended with Beijing imposing new national security laws in the city.
Sebastian has repeatedly warned that his father suffers from diabetes and says that he has lost weight due to being deprived of independent medical care.
Sebastian said last month that he believed it was in China’s interests to release Lai, warning that if he died behind bars he would be a martyr for the pro-democracy movement. He said, “It’s terrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s really a strong symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs.”