“I am seriously concerned about anyone facing prosecution under the National Security Act, and I am particularly concerned about the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai,” Cameron stressed. “As a prominent and outspoken journalist and editor, Jimmy Lai has been attacked in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and association,” he added.
Several prominent Catholic bishops have also shown their support for Lai, signing a petition in November who asked for his release from prison. Three American bishops signed the petition: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Bishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Military Services of the United States; and Mgr. Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.
Lai founded the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily in 1995, which closed in mid-2021 after officials froze the company’s assets. In 2020, Lai cited his Catholic faith as one of the reasons why he remained in Hong Kong despite the persecution.
“If I leave, I not only renounce my destiny, but I also renounce God, I renounce my religion, I renounce what I believe,” Lai said at the time.