Heartbroken but Hopeful: Claire Lai Urges Diplomatic Action After Father’s Sentencing

Jimmy Lai's daughter Claire is heartbroken after seeing her father sentenced to 20 years in a Chinese prison, but she's hopeful that the conclusion of his legal ordeal will open diplomatic opportunities for the U.S. and U.K. to advocate his release.

Lai, a Hong Kong media mogul who is being persecuted for his pro-democracy activism, has been in prison since December 2020, when he was arrested for violating Chinese national security laws. At 78, Lai has spent much of that time in solitary confinement and is in increasingly poor health. If he dies in prison, it would be “a stain on their history that they will not be able to erase,” Claire told National Review in an interview following her father's sentencing.

“I am extremely heartbroken by the sentence,” she said. “On the other, I hope this opens the door for the diplomatic channels and the political channels to allow for his release because no one should be under any illusion that the rule of law exists in Hong Kong, and you can’t see progress in the system that is broken and the same system that failed you.”

While efforts to secure Lai's release have been unsuccessful thus far, Claire believes that the U.K. government's push to improve relations with the Chinese Communist Party might present an opportunity for renewed discussions around Lai's case.

“Every sign points to the fact that they [Britain] want closer relations with China,” Claire said.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that the U.K. should not pursue closer relations with China. What I am going to say is that China has breached its treaties pretty frequently,” she continued. “The U.K. has already given so much to China. Asking for a small gesture of goodwill, which is a release of their [Britain’s] citizen, should not be too much to ask.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China back in January, the first British leader to do so in eight years. The meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping included a pledge to move toward a “more sophisticated relationship” between the two countries. Following the meeting, Beijing agreed to a 30-day visa-free access for British citizens, as well as halving tariffs on whiskey. U.K. drug company AstraZeneca announced a $15 billion investment in China.

Yet, less than a month later, the Hong Kong High Court sentenced a British citizen to a life-ending sentence.

Asif Mahmood, a commissioner with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, told National Review that American and British overtures have “emboldened” the CCP and weakened the western negotiating position.

“They [China] are definitely, in a way, thinking that ‘We can do whatever we want, to suppress and oppress people,'” Mahmood said. “That’s playing a big role [in the Jimmy Lai case].”

The U.S. Department of State issued a statement following Jimmy Lai’s sentencing, calling the trial both “unjust and tragic.”

“It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong,” the statement reads. “The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”

President Trump's record of securing the release of hostages held by hostile regimes around the world has inspired confidence in Claire. The administration negotiated the release of 20 Israelis and one American from Hamas captivity in October and, before that, secured the release of two American citizens who were being unjustly detained in Russia.

“We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from President Trump, this administration, and just both sides, really, of the political aisle,” Claire said. “President Trump and his administration have a proven track record of freeing the unjustly detained and doing so very effectively. We do hope that our father is next.”

Claire is doing her best to remain optimistic, but her father's ailing health — and the poor medical treatment he receives in prison — is a constant worry.

“His health has gotten from bad to worse. I’ve watched as his diabetes is poorly managed, his eyesight is poorly managed, and his hearing is poorly managed, and they’ve just gotten worse,” Claire Lai said. “He has new issues, like his heart issues, when he had a perfectly healthy heart prior to his incarceration. He has blood pressure problems. He has infections that last for months.”

Both the U.K. and the United Nations have requested that medical professionals check on Jimmy Lai’s health, but Chinese officials have rejected those requests, Claire explained.

“There is well-documented evidence that being kept in solitary confinement leads to adverse and potentially fatal health impacts,” Claire said. “He doesn’t get natural sunlight. The window in his cell is blocked off, so he doesn’t get fresh air.”

Lai is suffering from a litany of health concerns, many of which developed since he has been in custody. He gets severe heat rashes, has adverse reactions to large mosquito bites, and has had nails fall off due to vitamin deficiencies resulting from his poor prison diet and lack of sunlight.

Beyond his physical ailments, Lai has suffered spiritual maltreatment, as the Chinese Communist Party has discriminated against him for his Catholic faith. While he has been incarcerated, Lai has been denied the ability to receive the Catholic Eucharist, a sacrament central to his spiritual health and well-being.

“It is imperative to raise Jimmy Lai’s case, as well as others, to help demonstrate that no instance of CCP freedom of religion belief violations can go unnoticed,” Mahmood said. “Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for violating Jimmy Lai’s and others’ universal fundamental rights of freedom of religion or belief.”

To hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its abuses, Mahmood told NR that China can and should be designated as a country of particular concern regarding severe violations of religious freedom. In doing so, targeted sanctions could be levied against Chinese officials.

Claire described these last few weeks as a nightmare, but said her faith is what’s getting her through.

“I received a letter from him a few weeks ago, not long ago, and from the very first day that he was in prison, he told me that he was in God’s good hands, and he would find ways to serve him from behind bars,” Claire said.