Jimmy Lai’s Fight for Freedom

At the age of 12, Jimmy Lai escapes Communist-controlled China and makes his way to the British colony of Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. He finds work in a garment factory. His grit, determination, and entrepreurial spirit pay off, and he builds a fortune as a successful businessman.

After the Tiananmen Square massacre, Lai shifts his attention toward activism. He founds the pro-democracy Chinese language newspaper, Apple Daily, which criticizes the CCP regularly.

Jimmy Lai is arrested under Hong Kong’s draconian and vague new National Security Law, which makes free speech a crime. After two days in detention, Lai is released on bail.

Jimmy Lai is returned to prison, where he remains.

Jimmy Lai is convicted on the first of many charges stemming from his peaceful, pro-democracy campaigning, this time for taking part in a peaceful march that drew a quarter of Hong Kong’s population. He is sentenced to a year in prison.

Jimmy Lai is sentenced to an additional 14 months, this time for organizing and taking part in a public procession, proving again that speaking out is now a crime in Hong Kong.

Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s last independent Chinese-language newspaper, is forced to shut down as the government freezes its assets and arrests its senior staff.

The authorities convict Jimmy Lai for attending a vigil and lighting a candle in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Lai is sentenced to more than five years in prison on charges related to a minor lease violation—charges that the US State Department and many others condemned as spurious.

After years of delays, Lai’s trial under Hong Kong’s new National Security Law begins. He faces multiple charges relating to his pro-democracy campaigning and publishing

The court refuses to dismiss charges and adjourns the trial, scheduling it to begin again in November 2024. Jimmy Lai remains in solitary confinement, waiting for his day in court.

After months of delays, Jimmy Lai’s trial is expected to resume with his defense. The world watches as Hong Kong, a once free and vibrant city now controlled by Beijing, continues its assault on press freedom and pro-democracy voices.