In an article for the National Review, Ashley McGuire highlights Jimmy Lai’s unjust imprisonment by the Chinese Communist Party since 2020 and the strength he gets from his deep Catholic faith to continue to struggle for conscience rights. In her article, “The Witness of Jimmy Lai,” she writes:
“How do you make a martyr? Just ask China.
The world is watching as China puts Jimmy Lai on trial in a kangaroo court, where he faces charges of violating “national security.” Lai, a gentle giant, hasn’t been seen in years. Instead, the 76-year-old former media mogul has been languishing in solitary confinement at a maximum-security prison for defending the free-speech rights of the citizens of Hong Kong.
And yet, though unseen by even his own son for years, Lai has become the global face of conscience rights in its perpetual struggle against totalitarianism. He is a living martyr to its cause.
When Lai was a billionaire and newspaper publisher who knew exactly which way the political winds were blowing, he could have simply left China. Right now, he could be reading the news of the 44 other defendants standing trial this week from the comfort of a luxury apartment overlooking the Seine. Instead, he is looking straight into the eyes of his accusers alongside fellow conscience-rights and free-speech heroes. Lai has been charged under Hong Kong’s national security law with collusion with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious material; he faces a life sentence if found guilty.”
