The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has called for an urgent meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying he was "desperate" as his father's defence drew to a close in a high-profile trial.

Sebastien Lai said a fresh diplomatic push was now needed to free the 77-year-old pro-democracy activist, who holds British citizenship and has been kept behind bars in Hong Kong since December 2020.

Jimmy Lai's lawyers have complained about his conditions in detention and say they are increasingly worried about his health.

"I don't want my father to die in jail," Sebastien Lai told AFP in London. "I need to meet with the prime minister imminently."

This week Lai concluded more than 50 days of courtroom testimony as he fights charges of foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law. The law was imposed by China to quell dissent after pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Lai is the founder of the now-shuttered Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily, which supported the protests, and he is one of the most prominent figures to be prosecuted under the law.

The collusion offence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while Lai also faces a charge related to "seditious publications".

"It is desperate now," Sebastien Lai told journalists at a briefing in London organised by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rights group. "I really don't know how long my father has."

UN rights experts have called for Lai's release, as have Western governments including Britain.

A UK government spokesperson said: "British national Jimmy Lai's case is a priority."

"We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai."

– A 'pivotal moment' –

Last year Starmer raised Lai's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping and has said securing his freedom was a "priority" for the government.

But in London, Lai's legal team said more urgency was needed.

Lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher said delays in proceedings coupled with Lai's age, health and conditions of detention could lead to "a British national dying in prison for being a journalist and for standing up for democratic values.

"That's why there's such an urgency today to actually getting on with sitting down to talk to the government," she told journalists.

RSF's UK director Fiona O'Brien said Lai's plight had reached a "pivotal moment". It was, she said, "a case about the values of press freedom for which he has fought his whole life".

But Sun Qingye, the deputy chief of Beijing's national security apparatus in Hong Kong, on Friday dismissed the idea of freeing Jimmy Lai. It was wrong to put pressure on judges, he added.

"This matter must be dealt with according to law," Sun told reporters on the sidelines of Beijing's annual political gathering.

"Why grant a pardon? What would be the reason?"

In Hong Kong, Lai's lawyers concluded their defence on Friday, a day after he wrapped up his testimony. The case was adjourned to July 28 for closing arguments.

Hong Kong mogul Jimmy Lai wraps up testimony in collusion trial
Hong Kong (AFP) Mar 6, 2025 –

Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai concluded more than 50 days of spirited courtroom testimony on Thursday as he fights charges of foreign collusion under the city's national security law.

The 77-year-old founder of tabloid Apple Daily is one of the most prominent figures to be prosecuted under Hong Kong's national security law, which was imposed by Beijing to quell dissent after pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Lai has been responding to lawyers' questions as a defence witness since November in a trial that has dragged on long past its 80-day timetable.

He has been kept behind bars since December 2020 as some western nations and rights groups have raised concerns about his condition and demanded his release.

The collusion offence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Lai also faces a charge related to "seditious publications".

In court, lawyers asked wide-ranging questions on Lai's political ideology, his management style at Apple Daily and his vast network of overseas contacts.

Lai has denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong and said he never advocated separatism.

Day after day, Lai smiled and waved to family members in the public gallery as guards led him to his seat. He usually carried nothing except a glass of water.

The talkative media boss often butted heads with prosecutors and the three-judge panel, including when he called himself a political prisoner last month.

"You are not a political prisoner," High Court judge Esther Toh retorted.

"You are sitting in this courtroom… because you are facing criminal charges."

In another exchange, Lai accused prosecutors of putting words in his mouth and said they were "free of shame and integrity" before judges cut him short.

Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors.

Lai predicted before his arrest that the security law would curb liberties in Hong Kong and that has "come to pass", he told the court.

"Is there anybody in Hong Kong now (who) can speak the truth?" he said, triggering another warning from the bench.

The mogul would also jump in before lawyers had finished asking questions, volunteering copious details when he was only required to reply yes or no.

The trial is conducted in English and Lai's way of speaking at times became a stumbling block. Last week judges became confused by his pronunciation of "hegemony".

Lai spent hours silently scrutinising evidence — including hundreds of WhatsApp messages — shown to him on a large desktop screen, telling an assistant to "raise up" whenever he wanted them to scroll down.

"This case involves millions and millions of pages of documents," Lai's defence lawyer Steven Kwan told the court.

Lai thanked judges and lawyers when he was excused on Thursday.

Lawyers will continue their arguments on Friday, the 145th day since trial began.