Daughter of imprisoned Catholic activist Jimmy Lai said she is feeling “hopeful” ahead of President Donald Trumpʼs visit to China where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“My father, his fight, the rights and values that he stands for, and the urgency of his case is one that speaks to a lot of people,“ Claire Lai said in an interview with EWTN News. ”And weʼre just extremely grateful for the people who have taken his case to heart.”
Jimmy Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. He has already spent more than five years in detention, much of which was in solitary confinement.
Trump is traveling to Beijing this week to meet with Xi Jinping about numerous topics including trade, Taiwan, and emerging technology issues. He has also said he will raise the release of multiple prisoners including Lai, whose case he previously brought up to the Chinese president.
The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote May 12 on a resolution that would condemn the People’s Republic of China for its prosecution and imprisonment of Lai and call for his immediate release. Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, sponsored the measure.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) jails people to silence their faith, speech, and conscience — and to scare their families here in America and beyond,” Smith said. “The CCP’s unacceptable and unfair practice of politically motivated detention must end.”
The push by lawmakers “absolutely does give more hope,” Claire Lai said. She also noted a May 7 letter to Trump spearheaded by Smith and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, and signed by more than 100 lawmakers “from both sides of the political aisle urging President Trump to bring up my father in the upcoming summit,” she said.
“There were 68 senators, which is over two-thirds of all senators, which we are so incredibly grateful for,” she said. “Someone said once, ‘Whenʼs the last time … two-thirds of senators agreed on anything?’ Itʼs such a privilege, and … we are just so extremely humbled that this is the one thing that they have agreed on.”
“President Trump and his administration have continuously mentioned my father, and they have continuously mentioned their commitment to freeing him,” Claire said. “At least speaking for myself, I am extremely confident that it will be this administration that does secure my fatherʼs freedom.”
Need for a humanitarian release
Lawmakers are urging a humanitarian release as Jimmy Lai’s health continues to worsen. While Claire Lai said her family has “basically stopped” receiving reports on her father and his health, they do “hear things here and there.”
“Heʼs lost weight, he still has heart issues, he still has high blood pressure,” Claire Lai said. It is becoming increasingly urgent as it is “getting close to summer,” as the weather in Hong Kong will reach extremely hot temperatures and humid and wet conditions.
“I heard that itʼs not too hot in Hong Kong yet, but every summer he gets heat rashes and theyʼre … painful red bumps,” she said. He also gets “frequent and pretty severe back pains and waist pains.”
His “infections that last for months are … just another sign of a compromised immune system,” she said. “He has nails starting to fall off. He has teeth that are rotting and just skin that is drying and just a lot, a lot, of things that are … just cascading health issues.”
“In terms of detailed reports — we just havenʼt received those without really any reason since January. Not because we stopped asking; weʼre still asking, but we havenʼt received those,” she said.
The feast of Our Lady of Fátima offers hope ahead of summit
“It would mean so much to have our father back,” Claire Lai said. “I think that tomorrow is when President Trump arrives and itʼs the feast day of Our Lady of Fátima.”
Our Lady of Fátima presented herself to three shepherd children “during the first World War,” Claire Lai explained. “So it was a sign of hope. It was a sign of hope during a time of turmoil.”
“It reminds us of the power of prayer for the conversion of souls and just … that the Blessed Mother appears to the weakest among us. And my father is physically very weak right now,” she said.
Claire Lai also noted an incident when her father fell in the shower while imprisoned, which “happened actually three days right before the feast day of Our Lady of Fátima.” She added: “And he prayed to the Blessed Mother and suddenly he was able to get up again.”
“The Blessed Mother is watching over my father and … she continues to guide us under her mantle,” she said. “This month is dedicated to the Blessed Mother and Iʼm just extremely grateful that in times of doubt, in times where I have thoughts or emotions that I know donʼt come from God, I can turn to her.”
“My fatherʼs trust in the provisions of divine providence has never wavered. So … itʼs a reminder for mine not to either,” she said. “My fatherʼs story isnʼt really one of religious persecution per se, because heʼs not in prison because of his faith, but his faith is a huge driving force of why he had the courage for the things that he did.”
“As his physical conditions got from bad to worse, he came to know … the abundance of Godʼs mercy and Godʼs grace,” she said. “Itʼs something thatʼs almost limitless.”