Health failing Jimmy Lai convicted on sedition charges in Hong Kong

For Americans wondering about China’s future and its relationship with the West, the latest verdict in the Jimmy Lai case is proving to be an ominous harbinger of Hong Kong’s continued descent into authoritarianism. Lai, a self-made billionaire, media entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist, has been a detainee of the Chinese Communist Party for five years under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. He was eventually convicted on trumped-up sedition charges on December 14.

This verdict, delivered in 855 pages of meaningless nonsense, is Lai’s second conviction during state-sponsored persecution since Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy protests. Lai was previously convicted of lease violations and sentenced to 69 months in prison in connection with his popular former newspaper Apple Daily, which was shut down by the Chinese government in 2021. The latest charges, for which Lai will be sentenced in early January, carry a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

Of course, these nuances and timelines are meaningless; Lai has been imprisoned since December 2020, with his trial postponed, extended, postponed, appealed, and otherwise phased in accordance with the CCP’s wishes. The lawyers Lai chose were also not allowed. Hong Kong will likely throw the book at him in January, and Lai, already in poor health due to the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement, will eventually face death in prison. A somber birthday present for Lai, who recently turned 78.

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How did we get here? Lai knows why and describes himself as “a troublemaker but with a clear conscience.” “The establishment hates me,” Lai says, and you’d have to say he’s earned that hatred from a leadership in Beijing and now Hong Kong that doesn’t tolerate dissent. Lai, who participated in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in 2019, supported the Umbrella Movement in 2014 and voiced public concerns following the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, has long been a thorn in the side of the CCP.

Lai’s irreverent, pro-free speech publications, Apple Daily and Next Magazine, frequently reported unwelcome truths, challenged the status quo, and asked difficult questions about Chinese officials amid increasing state censorship. It was Lai’s courageous, decades-long commitment to democratic values ​​that led my organization, The Fund for American Studies, to honor him with the Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Courageous Journalism in 2022.

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Of all his goals, the one Lai valued most was protecting his adopted city, Hong Kong. Lai, who grew up in mainland China in the 1950s and then fled there as a child, knew firsthand that Communist regimes deprived their people of basic freedoms. Despite China’s agreement with Britain and the CCP’s “one country, two systems” pledge guaranteeing Hong Kong’s autonomy until at least 2047, Lai predicted that the CCP would accelerate its eventual takeover of Hong Kong.

The reason my organization ended its program at the University of Hong Kong after 2019 is because of the mainland’s creeping authoritarianism. We had predicted the coming crackdown in Hong Kong, and this week’s decision represents another nail in the coffin of Hong Kong’s once internationally respected legal system. In a chilling coincidence, the Hong Kong Democratic Party, the city’s largest opposition group, also voted to disband on the eve of the decision. Unfortunately, our concerns about the future of Hong Kong (and Lai’s) turned out to be true.

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Where do we go from here? First of all, Western leaders need to continue to call for Lai’s release on humanitarian grounds. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to visit China next month and his government has said the release of Lai (who is a British citizen) is a priority. This week, President Donald Trump also asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release Lai. Lai’s formal conviction now being made public could make room for a diplomatic solution. Now is the time to step up the pressure for his release.

Second, the West must remain vigilant against China’s continued aggression against its neighbors and its suppression of values ​​such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. These are values ​​under siege around the world. Journalists, religious figures, and democracy advocates have been killed or imprisoned for exercising these rights. Jimmy Lai is an example of incredible courage and commitment to democratic values, but his imprisonment is also a sobering warning against the dangers of authoritarianism.