World Press Freedom Day: Release my father Jimmy Lai, who published what China's leaders did not want to hear

George Orwell famously said, "If liberty means thing astatine all, it means the close to archer radical what they bash not privation to hear." On World Press Freedom Day, we indispensable punctual ourselves of the radical who person mislaid their freedoms warring for this precise right. 

My begetter Jimmy Lai is 1 specified man. He is presently successful Stanley maximum information situation successful Hong Kong, facing imaginable beingness successful situation for simply publishing what Chinese authorities bash not privation to hear. 

His communicative is 1 of bonzer translation and unwavering conviction. Arriving successful Hong Kong astatine property 12 aft fleeing Communist China, helium began his travel arsenic a kid laborer successful a covering factory, enduring hardship and poverty. 

Sebastien Lai with his begetter Jimmy, 1 of 10 journalists being held successful Hong Kong’s prisons, immoderate of whom worked for him astatine Apple Daily. (Fox News)

Yet, done grit and vision, helium roseate from mill idiosyncratic to mill manager, and by 1975, utilized his savings to acquisition a bankrupt garment factory. This bold determination laid the instauration for his archetypal large success: Giordano, a covering concatenation that grew into an planetary marque with thousands of employees and stores crossed Asia.

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The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre marked a turning constituent for him. Witnessing the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protesters, helium redirected his life’s enactment from concern to activism, determined to combat for state and quality rights successful Hong Kong. 

In 1995, helium founded Apple Daily, a paper that rapidly became a beacon for escaped code and democracy, unafraid to knock the Chinese Communist Party and exposure corruption. My begetter poured $100 cardinal of his ain luck into the venture, ensuring the paper’s independency and fearless reporting.

His media empire, including Next Magazine and Apple Daily, became a megaphone for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, rallying citizens and challenging the authorities. His outspoken disapproval of Beijing and unwavering enactment for protestors made him a target. 

Sebastien Lai holds a photograph of his father, Jimmy Lai, astatine the 2025 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. (UN Watch)

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The CCP labeled him a "troublemaker," and his businesses faced retaliation, including the closure of his Beijing Giordano store aft a arguable column. Yet, helium ne'er wavered, famously stating, "Information is prime and prime is freedom" utilizing some high-brow and fashionable contented to dispersed the connection of liberty.

His committedness to rule acceptable him isolated from different tycoons. While galore concern leaders successful Hong Kong chose soundlessness oregon compromise, helium stood alone, enduring threats, arrests, and yet imprisonment for his beliefs. In 2014, helium was arrested during the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests, and successful 2020, arsenic Beijing tightened its grip connected Hong Kong, my begetter was again detained nether the draconian National Security Law. 

Despite the risks, helium refused to flee, choosing to stay successful Hong Kong and proceed the basal for his beliefs, adjacent arsenic Apple Daily was forced to close, adjacent arsenic helium present faces the anticipation of the remainder of his beingness down bars.

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My father’s beingness is simply a testament to the powerfulness of conviction. He is not conscionable a businessman oregon media mogul – helium is simply a awesome of state and anticipation for many. His outsider status, arsenic an migrant who ne'er rather acceptable in, gave him the spot to play by his ain rules and situation the presumption quo.

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, center, who founded the paper Apple Daily, is arrested by constabulary officers astatine his location successful Hong Kong connected April 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

Despite his wealthiness and influence, helium remains profoundly quality – a husband, begetter and practicing Catholic. We miss his booming dependable and boisterous laughter astir our meal table. We agelong for the time we tin again stock a meal, again commune together.

Over the past fewer months, some President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio person publically stated their committedness to securing my father’s freedom, accordant with the president’s prioritizing the merchandise of those wrongly detained abroad. He has secured the merchandise of 14 prisoners since taking bureau successful January.

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My begetter is fortunate to person heavy bipartisan enactment successful this state and abroad. The U.S. and the U.K. person called for his contiguous and unconditional release, arsenic person the parliaments of Canada and the EU. He has received galore awards for his courage, and I volition person a Bradley Prize connected his behalf connected May 29 successful Washington. But helium remains successful prison.

My begetter is 1 of 10 journalists who are inactive being held successful Hong Kong’s prisons, immoderate of whom worked for him astatine Apple Daily. While helium whitethorn beryllium the astir high-profile among them, each of these journalists were warring for their close to talk information to power, and to support their mode of life.

Their bravery reminds america that state is ne'er guaranteed – it indispensable beryllium fought for, often astatine large idiosyncratic cost. My father’s defiance successful the look of overwhelming power, his willingness to sacrifice everything for his principles, and his content successful the dignity of each idiosyncratic marque him a genuine leader of our time. 

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At 77 years old, helium has spent the past 4 years successful a maximum-security situation for these beliefs. His bequest endures arsenic a beacon of hope, showing that conscionable 1 person’s courageousness tin alteration the people of history. 

The extremity to my father’s communicative is not yet written. This World Press Freedom Day, I entreaty to each who cherish escaped code to articulation our combat to unafraid my father’s merchandise truthful helium tin permission Hong Kong and walk his aged property with his family.

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