Please Pray for the Release of Jimmy Lai

If you’re not aware of Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned media tycoon in Hong Kong, his story is one to know — and his plight is one deserving of our prayers.

Locked away in solitary confinement since December 31, 2020, Lai was convicted by Hong Kong’s High Court on a variety of charges that can all be reduced to single sentence:

Jimmy Lai is a devout believer in Jesus Christ and a firm defender of democracy — a toxic combination for Communist China.

Earlier this week, Lai, age 78, was sentenced to 20 years in prison — the equivalent of a death sentence given the publisher’s age.

Born in China, Lai arrived in Hong Kong as a stowaway when he was twelve. Although poor, he managed to start a clothing store aimed at serving the middle class. The business prospered, and Jimmy took the proceeds and launched several pro-democracy newspapers and magazines. 

For background, it was in 1995 that Jimmy Lai founded “Apple Daily,” a Hong Kong-based newspaper that strongly advocated for personal freedoms and regularly exposed government corruption in Beijing and beyond. When Hong Kong was handed over to the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997, tensions began to rise — but Jimmy and his paper stayed the course. It became a favorite among freedom-loving residents, especially the younger generation.

The tension came to a head in August of 2020 when Jimmy Lai was arrested under China’s “National Security Law” — legislation intended to root out pro-democracy agitators and anyone whose behavior was deemed subversive.

Don’t forget that under a Joint Declaration agreement inked in 1984, Hong Kong was promised autonomy and hoped to maintain its sovereignty and continue operating as it did under British rule — but that’s clearly not happened.

Sebastien Lai, Jimmy’s son, told the Wall Street Journal, “After five years, after a tremendously long trial, they have found nothing,” he said. “They have found a man who has given everything that he has for freedom. There’s no evidence to incriminate him. So, Hong Kong now has spent this tremendous amount of money destroyed … to go after my father and have nothing to show for it.”

This past December, President Trump was asked to intervene, and he agreed to try and help.

“I feel so badly,” the president stated. “I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release. He’s not well. He’s an older man and he’s not well, so I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.”

Last week, five members of the House of Representatives, Christopher H. Smith, John Moolenaar, James P. McGovern, Joe Wilson, and Thomas R. Suozzi, wrote the Nobel Peace Prize Committee and urged them to recognize Lai’s tireless and sacrificial advocacy for freedom and democracy. They called him a “global symbol of nonviolent resistance to totalitarianism and of the indispensable role a free press plays in preserving peace, democracy, and the rule of law.”

Jimmy was given the opportunity to flee the country, but he resisted. “God is always my center,” he said. “The way I look at it, if I suffer for the right cause, it only defines the person I am becoming. It can only be good for me to become a better person. If you believe in the Lord, if you believe that all suffering has a reason, and the Lord is suffering with me… I’m at peace with it.”

According to friends and family, Jimmy spends his time reading the Bible and drawing pictures of the cross.

Please join us in praying for the health and release of Jimmy Lai.