Emily Fang
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
The lead judge in his case said Lai harbored, quote, resentment and hatred towards China, which his daughter denies.
When you're guided by the Holy Spirit, despite what the judgment says, there is no room for hate and there is no...
Coming from a family of devout Catholics, the younger Lai says she has faith her father's case can be dealt with by political negotiation.
Sentencing is expected from mid-January, and Lai faces up to life in prison.
Claire Lai says her father is an ailing 78-year-old, and he's seen a precipitous decline in health over the last years of his five-year imprisonment so far.
He has heart issues, he has skin problems, he has infections, back issues, waist problems.
The lead judge in his case said Lai harbored, quote, resentment and hatred towards China, which his daughter denies.
When you're guided by the Holy Spirit, despite what the judgment says, there is no room for hate and there is no...
No hate in my father's heart.
Coming from a family of devout Catholics, the younger Lai says she has faith her father's case can be dealt with by political negotiation.
Sentencing is expected from mid-January, and Lai faces up to life in prison.
Lai was first arrested in 2020 under Beijing's national security law in Hong Kong, accused of colluding with foreign forces by contacting American politicians like President Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence, as well as journalists.
He had already spent years in prison on protest charges when his national security trial began in 2023.
And while awaiting his verdict, his family says the 78-year-old's health has declined.
Lai's work funding and organizing pro-democracy demonstrations came late in life.
After arriving in Hong Kong as a refugee, he built a fortune in fast fashion, then started several successful media companies in Hong Kong and Taiwan before pivoting to politics.
Lai was first arrested in 2020 under Beijing's national security law in Hong Kong, accused of colluding with foreign forces by contacting American politicians like President Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence, as well as journalists.