G7 calls for Lai's release as pressure mounts on China

The G7 nations have issued a joint statement calling on China to end the persecution of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, stepping up the international pressure on Beijing to release him.

- SHWETA SHARMA

Lai, a 78-year-old British national, faces the possibility of life in jail after he was found guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign forces earlier this week. The founder of the now-defunct Apply Daily newspaper was arrested in 2020, not long after Hong Kong was gripped by massive anti-government protests.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Britain and the US, as well as the EU, condemned Lai’s conviction.

“We continue to express our concerns about deteriorating rights, freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong,” it said. “Freedom of expression and opinion and media freedom are enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law. We call on the Hong Kong authorities to end such prosecutions and to release Jimmy Lai immediately.”