Trump presses Xi during summit, “free Jimmy Lai”
At the summit in Busan, South Korea, US President Donald Trump discussed more than just trade with Xi Jinping. He also called for the release of Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong Catholic businessman and publisher who has been held in prison since 2020.
- DOSSIER: A Roman Catholic against the Power
Italian government backs Jimmy Lai: 'Working for his release'
Sebastien Lai, son of the imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul, was received yesterday at the Foreign Office by the envoy for religious freedom, who promised to work for his release. Prior to the meeting, which was also arranged by the Bussola/Daily Compass, he met with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr Lorenzo Fontana, who expressed his full support.
- DOSSIER: Jimmy Lai, a Roman Catholic against the Power
Why campaign for Jimmy Lai's release?
At the annual Bussola/Daily Compass conference, Sebastien Lai, Jimmy’s son, gave a moving testimony appealing to Western governments to put pressure on the Chinese authorities to release his father. It was also an opportunity to understand the roots of true freedom — an issue that concerns everyone.
- DOSSIER: A Roman Catholic against the Power
- The HongKonger — the official trailer
Jimmy Lai: martyr for the truth
A successful Hong Kong entrepreneur and publisher, he converted to Catholicism and became a thorn in the side of the Chinese Communist regime. He has spent the last five years in prison, where he is in danger of dying. He will receive the ‘Made for Truth' award during the Nuova Bussola/Daily Compass annual celebration day on 25 October, which will be presented to his son Sebastien Lai on his behalf.
- DOSSIER: Jimmy Lai, a Catholic against power
Jimmy Lai at final stage of trial in Hong Kong: risks dying in prison
Arrested in August 2020 and imprisoned since December, he has been on trial since 2023 for purely political reasons. Jimmy Lai, a Catholic and anti-communist publisher in Hong Kong, could die in prison.
- Dossier: Jimmy Lai, a Roman Catholic against the Power
"Jimmy Lai, persecuted by China, abandoned by the Vatican"
As Hong Kong tightens its national security law, the famous Catholic dissident risks being jailed for life. Father Robert Sirico attended the last hearing of his trial: 'He saw me, I blessed him and he was moved'. A crucifix drawn in prison is now on display at the Catholic University of Washington. The closeness of Cardinal Zen, the silence of Rome and the Church in Hong Kong.
The Hong Konger brings Catholic freedom hero Jimmy Lai to cinemas
Robert Sirico, co-founder of the Acton Institute recently presented the documentary The Hong Konger in Rome. The film recounts the story of Jimmy Lai, persecuted dissident, Catholic, former Hong Kong publishing magnate. And there is no hiding the disappointment with the Vatican's soft power towards China’s communist regime.
Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai risks jail in fight for freedom
Jimmy Lai has been arrested again. He is a Catholic businessman and media mogul who now risks 14 years behind bars for opposing the Chinese Communist regime. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, is convinced: "Jimmy Lai is being persecuted for his ideas on human liberty, including that of the press, of enterprise and of religion". Far from being a lost cause, according to Sirico it is "smouldering embers" that could be rekindled also in mainland China.
