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As G7 foreign ministers prepare to meet in Ontario’s Niagara Region, family of hotel owner Jimmy Lai and Niagara-on-the-Lake’s lord mayor are calling for the pro-democracy activist’s release from a Hong Kong prison.
Lai, who was arrested in 2020 and is being held in Lai Chi Kok prison, owns Vintage Hotels, a string of inns across the region. A British and Hong Kong citizen, he was founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
“My uncle hasn’t done anything wrong that we don’t do in our own country on a daily basis,” his niece, Erica Lepp, who lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake, told CBC News on Thursday.
“Niagara-on-the-Lake is my uncle’s Canadian home,” Lepp said, “and this is where the majority of his Canadian family is.”
Gary Zalepa, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s lord mayor, said in a public letter published on Nov. 3 that Lai and his family “have made a lasting contribution to our community.”
Lai and his family “have strengthened the local economy, created meaningful employment opportunities, and revitalized key heritage properties that attract visitors and sustain local businesses,” said the letter, which was released before Niagara Region hosts the G7 security, prosperity and economic resilience forum next week.
Zalepa said his support for Lai’s release is grounded “in the belief that every person deserves fair treatment under the law,” and that he also wrote to Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who is set to host the G7 ministers’ meeting.
“I am proud to advocate for someone who has spent his life championing those very ideals,” he wrote.
Family concerned about Lai’s health
Lai was considered one of the most high-profile political arrestees in Hong Kong under a sweeping China-imposed national security law that was imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
At his trial, which began in December 2023 and wrapped up in August, he pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish material seditious against the Chinese government. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to Reuters, Lai was suffering from heart palpitations and was provided with a heart monitor and medication, his lawyers said during his 156-day trial.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed support for Lai’s release, to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and suggested it would benefit U.S.-Chinese ties as well as China’s image, reported Reuters, which cited sources briefed on the contents of their meeting in South Korea.
After waiting more than three years in a jail cell, Jimmy Lai stood trial for treason in a Hong Kong courtroom this week. If found guilty, the 76-year-old could spend the rest of his life in prison. But who is this media tycoon and pro-democracy activist? And why does the Chinese government want him behind bars?
Lepp is especially concerned about her uncle’s well-being and said he also has diabetes.
Lai has been held in solitary confinement for more than 1,700 days, according to his family and rights groups.
“That’s not a healthy environment for even a young person, let alone someone his age,” said Lepp.
Lepp said she and the family are “very happy” to see support from the lord mayor as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
On Thursday, Sébastien Lai, Jimmy’s son, spoke to Canada’s standing committee on foreign affairs and international development via video link.
Sébastien thanked “Canada for recently joining the call for my father’s release” and shared concerns over Lai’s health.
“He has always advocated for peace over all these years…. I ask again that all of you here, who have been so incredibly supportive, keep shining a light on my father’s story and keep your support going because I think it is very much needed in this quite dark time.”
‘We would urge the release of Mr. Lai’: Carney
During a news conference on Oct. 16 in Etobicoke in suburban Toronto, Carney was asked about Lai and whether Canada would consider granting him honorary citizenship.
“We support the freedom of the press and we would urge the release of Mr. Lai,” Carney said. “With respect to citizenship, we have processes to become [a Canadian citizen]. I’m making the point on humanitarian grounds and our support for freedom of the press, including in Hong Kong. We first and foremost take responsibility for the citizens of Canada and the residents of Canada.”
When asked about recent support by Canadian politicians for Lai’s release, Lepp suggested that it’s long overdue, “because my uncle’s been in prison for over four years.”
“I would love for my cousins to be able to just hug their dad before he dies.”
