On the eve of the Chinese Premier’s visit to Paris, detained Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai’s son joins RSF to advocate for French support for his release
As China’s Premier, Li Qiang, is expected to attend the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris this week, Sebastien Lai joins Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to advocate for the release of his father, detained Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai – exposing a very different reality to the narrative of the Chinese regime.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Paris is part of his first overseas trip since taking office in March, which will also include a stop in Berlin for consultations with the German government. He is one of dozens of state representatives expected to attend the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, set to be hosted by France from 22 to 23 June. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi are also reportedly expected.
Along with members of Jimmy Lai’s international legal team from Doughty Street Chambers in London, Sebastien Lai will be joining RSF for a full programme of advocacy meetings with the French parliament and civil society, as well as interviews with the country’s leading print and broadcast media. RSF will also hold a screening of a documentary film on the story of Jimmy Lai’s struggle for freedom, ‘The Hong Konger,’ to be followed by a discussion with Sebastien Lai.
“The contrast could not be sharper between the false narrative the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities attempt to promote of the media freedom situation in the territory, and the harsh reality exposed by the detention of Jimmy Lai and targeting of dozens of other journalists for their independent reporting. We have invited Sebastien Lai to France to convey the gravity of the situation in Hong Kong and garner support for the campaign to #FreeJimmyLai.
A laureate of RSF’s Press Freedom Prize, 75-year old Jimmy Lai has worked over the past 25 years to uphold the values of freedom of speech and press through his independent media outlet Apple Daily. Detained since December 2020 in a maximum security jail and repeatedly refused bail, Lai is already serving concurrent sentences on charges of attending “unauthorised” pro-democracy protests and allegations of fraud. Most alarmingly, he now faces a possible life sentence under the draconian national security law, with his trial scheduled to start on 25 September.
As Sebastien Lai has noted, Jimmy Lai has held a lifelong love of France, and promoting French culture in the Chinese language was one of the central topics of his writings. He had such a large role in promoting French cuisine to Hong Kong, Taiwanese and even Chinese audiences that the French government deemed it appropriate to name him a “chevalier de l’ordre du Mérite agricole,” to his great pleasure and surprise.
“La défense des droits de l’homme n’est pas un crime”, said Sebastien Lai, who speaks fluent French. “Through my father’s story I hope that the French public can see that the values this country fought for have resonated in the hearts of many far away. As a direct result of defending liberty, my father has been jailed and silenced. I ask that you join our call for his immediate release.”
RSF recently launched an unprecedented common statement of 116 media leaders from around the world, uniting in a call to free Jimmy Lai – including 13 signatures from French publishers and editors.
On 15 June, the European Parliament adopted a crucial resolution on the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, calling for the release of Jimmy Lai. The resolution passed with a landslide majority, including support from French MEPs from across the political spectrum.
Hong Kong is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2023 World Press Freedom Index, having plummeted down the rankings from 18th place in just 20 years. China itself ranked 179th of the 180 countries and territories surveyed.
