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Foreign ministers

Calls for Canada to Raise Plight of Jailed Publisher Jimmy Lai at G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand prepares to host the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Ontario's Niagara Region, MPs and human-rights advocates are urging her to raise the case of jailed publisher Jimmy Lai, who has invested millions in the area and has strong family ties. Mr. Lai, 77, is facing life imprisonment under Hong Kong's national security law and has been in solitary confinement for almost five years, prompting concerns about his health. His lawyers have called for his release so he can spend his remaining years with his family in Canada or Britain.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jimmy Lai, a 77-year-old Canadian citizen, is facing life imprisonment under Hong Kong's national security law for his role in founding the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
  • Lai has invested millions in Ontario's Niagara Region, owning a string of hotels and restaurants, and has strong family ties in the area.
  • MPs, human-rights advocates, and Lai's business partner are calling for his case to be raised at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Niagara Region on November 11-12.
  • Lai's lawyers have raised concerns about the effect of his prison conditions on his health, which are exacerbated by the sweltering heat in the summer.
  • The House of Commons and the Senate passed a motion by unanimous consent in 2023 calling on the Hong Kong authorities to release Lai.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have publicly expressed support for Lai's release.
  • Lai's company, Lais Hotel Properties Limited, owns hotels and restaurants in Ontario and has already received hotel bookings related to the G7 summit.

Statistics:

  • 77: Lai's age
  • 5 years: Length of Lai's solitary confinement
  • 488-521 days: Length of detention of Lai's co-workers before they pleaded guilty
  • 1960s: Last time the sedition charge was used in Hong Kong
  • 2023: Year the House of Commons and the Senate passed a motion calling for Lai's release
  • 6: Number of staff members arrested with Lai in 2020
  • 11-12 November: Dates of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Niagara Region

Sources:

  • Government of Canada
  • The Globe and Mail
  • CBC News
  • BBC News
  • The New York Times

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