‘I’m very proud of him’: Sebastien Lai on Hong Kong, accountability and his father Jimmy’s trial

"There is that idea that we always thought China would liberalise economically, get freer and freer,” says Lai. “But I think Dad realised very early on, and he said in an interview, that wishful thinking doesn’t work. You’ve got to put the work in. And that’s what he did.”

The 29-year-old was only recently married, but is spending much of his time flying around the world advocating for his father’s freedom.

Days earlier, his father, Jimmy Lai, the prominent media mogul and democracy activist, went on trial in Hong Kong. Lai senior is accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the 2020 national security law, and conspiring to publish seditious material, under a colonial-era sedition law. He faces up to life in prison for the more serious charges.