During Compass Day 2025, Sebastien Lai received the “Made for Truth” Award dedicated to his father Jimmy Lai. The day, entitled “The gaze straight towards God”, was attended by Monsignor Antonio Suetta, bishop of Ventimiglia-Sanremo, Don Fortunato Di Noto, founder of the Meter association, David Caron Olivares and Sister Maria Gloria Riva, of the Nuns of Eucharistic Adoration. In the photo Lai receives the award from Bussola director Riccardo Cascioli.
«Many see my father as a hero, but I just want him to be free, because he is my father. I would like to have him with me at Christmas, to be able to see him. He’s of a certain age, and I don’t know how many years I have left with him, even if he gets out soon. That said, her story is incredibly inspiring, and I’m proud to carry it forward. Many people who know her are struck by her and fuel their courage.” Son of the founder of Apple Dailythe most read independent newspaper in Hong Kong, Sébastien Lai has been living away from his city for five years. His father, Jimmy Lai, a billionaire entrepreneur and convert to Catholicism, founder of various newspapers also in Taiwan, has been detained since 2020 on charges of “collusion with foreign forces” and “sedition”, crimes under the national security law imposed by Beijing after the 2019 protests. The case has become a global symbol of the repression of press freedom. Today Sébastien is the international face of the campaign for his father’s release. «One day he will be free. Unfortunately I haven’t seen him for five years, because I publicly fight for him, I really can’t go back to Hong Kong. As for hope, yes, I am optimistic, albeit cautiously. We are in a situation where it is in the interests of both Hong Kong and China to release him. There is no benefit to keeping him prisoner, there are only negative consequences.”
If you had to explain to a young European who Jimmy Lai is, what image would you choose to describe his father? The successful entrepreneur, the Catholic believer, the political dissident, the tycoon whose business career began at nine years old, when he unloaded crates for a Chinese warehouse?
«I think one thing leads to another, in a way. He is a person who converted to Catholicism in 1997.”
Was he Buddhist?
«No, before he was agnostic. I don’t know whether to call him an atheist or agnostic, even though he has always been very interested in religion.”
We could define him as a “newborn” in faith.
«Yes, relatively new. He is one of those who best represents those who were not born into faith or freedom, but spent the rest of their lives seeking God, freedom and democracy. I think this sums it up well. He is also a person who loved to “rock things”, who felt that there was a greater truth, a deeper meaning. This is why he also became a journalist, who founded an editorial group, who gave up everything to defend freedom and democracy. He knew well that if he bowed to the Chinese Communist Party, he could live a comfortable life like that of many entrepreneurs who thrive in Beijing or Canton. But he also knew that God had something more in store for him, and he wanted to live, as he put it, a meaningful life.”
Many international observers consider his father’s conviction a direct attack on press freedom. Do you think that we, in the Western world, are doing enough to defend this cause?
«We are truly grateful for all the support we have received, not only from the press but also from governments around the world. The point is that Hong Kong is a unique case: it continues to claim to have freedom of the press, while it is openly and blatantly destroying it. If we don’t defend it, if we don’t react, other authoritarian governments will think they can do the same elsewhere. That said, obviously more can be done, but we are very grateful for the support we have received. And I hope that even more will be done, because otherwise my father will die in prison for simply doing the right thing: staying in Hong Kong and defending the freedom of his work.”
Jimmy Lai’s arrest and trial have become a symbol of Beijing’s control over Hong Kong. What remains today of the spirit of the 2019 protests, which went down in history as the “umbrella protests”?
“Unfortunately I haven’t been back to Hong Kong for five years, so I can’t say for sure. But I believe that today the city is governed by fear, and that what made it great has disappeared. Now it’s up to Beijing and Hong Kong to decide whether they prefer to be an oppressed city, with a legal system in which no one has faith, or a free city, with fair justice that respects the promises made to its citizens.”
His father always said that his Catholic faith gave him strength. Do you think it was his beliefs that made him so determined, even in the face of prison?
“Yes, certainly. I think he always felt a guiding hand in life. As an entrepreneur, most people aim for wealth. It makes no economic sense to criticize the Chinese government if you live on business in Hong Kong. But in 1997, with all the stress of the transition of sovereignty, he understood that God was guiding him. This is why he converted. And for the next twenty years he did what he knew was right, convinced that it was what God expected of him as a Catholic. Even in prison today, he finds strength in this: he knows he is doing the right thing, that he is faithful to God. Like many Catholics, he experiences suffering as part of his journey of faith and offering.”
His father didn’t just found Apple Dayly in Hong Kong. He also created two media outlets in Taiwan, which quickly became leading publications. How is the situation on the island proudly autonomous from Beijing and protected by the Americans? China has never given up its claims on the island. Do you have the impression that the People’s Republic of China is close to invading Taiwan?
«I am not an expert in geopolitics, but I believe that in recent years, through elections, the Taiwanese have moved towards the party more favorable to independence, precisely because they have seen what happened in Hong Kong. This has made them even more wary of China. I don’t know if there will be a war, obviously I hope not. Nobody wants it. But the Taiwanese have certainly learned their lesson by looking at Hong Kong, and for this reason they have chosen to move further and further away from Beijing.”
What can the West and the European Union do concretely for your father and his cause?
«Hong Kong continues to tell the world that it has freedom, rule of law and a free press. It’s no longer true. But he says it because many like this image: because it gives confidence to those who want to do business there. Western governments can clearly say to Hong Kong: If you don’t release this man, who is only being held for standing up for what is right, we will no longer be able to pretend that you have those freedoms. And we will not be able to treat you as a territory independent of China. It is an opportunity for European countries to show their values, and for Hong Kong to return to being a city that respects the law and a system based on law.”
His brothers also ended up in prison for the same reason.
«They were arrested, but not charged. Then released. So they can’t do what I do. I’m still in Hong Kong. I don’t communicate with them so as not to put them in further danger. But for me it is a privilege to be able to defend my father. When I think about the history of Hong Kong, I am grateful that a person like him exists: someone willing to give everything to defend his city. Of course, the other part of me just wishes I had a father at home, but I remain incredibly proud of him.”
