As closing statements in the trial of Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai are set to begin, the International Press Institute (IPI) calls for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds, and reiterates its demand that all charges against him be dropped. The harsh conditions of Lai’s nearly five-year imprisonment on politically motivated charges have put his life at grave risk.
Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old founder of now-shuttered pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily, is currently standing trial on charges of “colluding with foreign forces” and “conspiring with others to issue seditious publications,” under Hong Kong’s draconian 2020 National Security Law. Closing statements in the nearly two-year long trial were set to begin on August 14, but have been delayed several days due to weather and concerns over Lai’s health.
The charges Lai faces, which carry the possibility of life imprisonment, are the culmination of a years-long campaign against Lai, stemming from Apple Daily’s coverage of Hong Kong’s 2019-2020 pro-democracy protests. Apple Daily was founded by Lai in 1995 to create a space for conversations about democracy in Hong Kong and offer a platform for criticism of the Chinese Communist Party. The campaign against Lai and Apple Daily has become a landmark case symbolizing the erosion of free expression in Hong Kong.
Lai was first arrested in connection to his journalistic work in August 2020, only weeks after the passage of China’s new National Security Law for the territory aimed at suppressing the protests. Since then, he has faced a slew of new charges, prosecutions and jail sentences. Lai, a diabetic, has been held continuously in prison since December 2020, with much of that time spent in a maximum-security prison in a cell with no natural light.
Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, has said he fears the harsh conditions of his father’s imprisonment may soon cause his death.
Apple Daily itself also became the target of authorities, who raided the outlet’s offices, arrested staffers, seized equipment and froze financial assets. The paper was forced to close in June 2021.
“Despite authorities’ attempts to drag out this case, the world has not forgotten Jimmy Lai,” said IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen. “Jimmy’s brave and unwavering commitment to standing for press freedom and freedom of speech – despite unbelievably unbearable conditions – has earned him a much-deserved reputation as a global symbol of press freedom under siege. It’s long past time that Jimmy’s inhumane suffering comes to an end. He must be released.”
Lai’s case has drawn global attention, with many government leaders calling for his release. In November 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Lai to be unlawfully and arbitrarily detained.