As world leaders from the Group of Seven nations ready to meet in Niagara-on-the-Lake this week, the family of jailed publisher and hotel owner Jimmy Lai is calling on Canada to help secure his release after more than five years in a Hong Kong prison.
“He sits in a windowless room for 23 hours a day, and at 78 with diabetes, his time feels fragile,” said Erica Lepp, Lai’s niece, in a Nov. 10 Facebook post to the NOTL 4 All group.
A rally in support of Lai is planned for Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in Simcoe Park.
Foreign ministers from the G7 nations are meeting in town this week on Nov. 11 and 12, and Lai’s relatives, along with local officials and supporters, say the gathering offers an important moment for Canada to act.
The G7 is a coalition of major democratic nations — Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Its leaders and ministers, along with the European Union and other invited partners, meet throughout the year to discuss global economic issues, security concerns and other international challenges.
Lai, 77, founder of Apple Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper widely described as having a pro-democracy editorial position, and whose family owns Vintage Hotels, was arrested Aug. 10, 2020, under the territory’s national security law.
“He called NOTL his Canadian home,” Lepp said.
“Friends, neighbours, and members of our beloved community — my family and I are calling on you to stand with us for a peaceful rally in support of my Uncle Jimmy, who has been unjustly imprisoned for many years for speaking truth through journalism.”
Lai’s relatives live in NOTL: “This is our home,” the post continues.
He and his twin sister Si Wai Lai’s Vintage Hotels group includes the Prince of Wales, Queen’s Landing and the Pillar and Post, as well as other properties across southern Ontario.
Last week, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa issued a public statement supporting Canada’s efforts to secure Lai’s release because of the family’s long history of investing in, and being a cornerstone of, the town.
“I just thought it was important to add my voice,” Zalepa said in an interview.
He said the timing of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, hosted by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, is “very fruitful.”
These meetings make way for productive international conversations about such issues, said Zalepa. If not talked about directly, “it may come up through other conversations.”
In an interview, Tony Baldinelli, Conservative MP for Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, said these meetings offer “a perfect opportunity” to highlight Lai’s case.
“It’s my hope that they will champion the cause.”
Baldinelli said the timing is meaningful — next month marks the anniversary of the December 1941 Battle of Hong Kong, when many Canadians were killed or later died as prisoners of war.
He said Lai is standing up for the same values of freedom and democracy that Canadians defended then, “which should resonate with all Canadians.”
Lai’s arrest is “totally against what we expect in a free and democratic society,” he added.
“The press has an important role to play and Jimmy, through his actions, was illuminating that fact.”
Baldinelli echoed Zalepa’s remarks, saying Lai’s investments have made a lasting impact on NOTL’s tourism economy and local employment.
“I mean, he employs thousands of people here in our community alone,” he said.
Baldinelli and other parliamentarians raised Lai’s case in June, alongside his son, Sebastien Lai and human-rights advocate, Irwin Cotler. “We made those calls then,” he said, adding that a couple of weeks ago, he spoke with the minister. “I told her, Minister, it’s the perfect opportunity.”
Zalepa said he’s confident the federal government and Anand are doing everything possible to ensure “proper rule of law for Mr. Lai.”
He and Baldinelli both hope to attend the Nov. 12 rally, which Lepp said, in her post, is “peaceful, family-friendly and full of hope.”
“It’s a chance for us to show that our community stands united against injustice — and that we will not be silent when one of our own is wrongfully silenced.”
