It has been nearly two months since Jimmy Lai (黎智英), the media mogul and pro-democracy activist, was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s national security law. It was a grim, but in some ways fitting, conclusion to the marathon prosecution of Lai, who years ago made the conscious choice to remain in Hong Kong and stand as a symbol of the city’s resistance to Chinese authoritarianism.
When that decision came down, the international response was loud and swift. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the Chinese government to grant Lai humanitarian parole. U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper demanded his release on humanitarian grounds. International attention on Lai’s case surged, driven by the stark recognition that for a frail, diabetic 78-year-old like Lai, 20 years is a life sentence.
Since then, the world’s focus has shifted to the war in Iran. With the conflict roiling global energy markets, some in Beijing might think that if they wait this one out, the world will forget about Lai.
But this problem isn’t just going to go away. President Donald Trump is still planning to head to Beijing next month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). He’s taken every opportunity so far to raise Lai’s situation with Xi, and this time won’t be any different. Rubio will be there with him too, and unlike last time, Trump’s secretary of state is now on the record saying that Lai should be released.
Every time Trump meets with Xi, the fate of Lai will be brought right back into the spotlight.
The other crucial factor here is Lai’s health. Since his initial arrest in 2020, Lai has lost a significant amount of weight. There are reports that his teeth are rotting from the brutal conditions of solitary confinement.
It is only natural that the story of China’s oppression of Hong Kong will pass in and out of the news cycle as world events evolve. But Lai’s physical deterioration is a ticking time bomb that will always threaten to bring the world’s attention back to Beijing and its cruel quashing of freedom in Hong Kong.
There are two ways this can end. China can let Lai die in prison, an event which would be sure to attract a massive international outcry. Sympathy would be strongest in the Catholic community, which gains every day even more reason to view Lai as a religious martyr.
The far easier option is simply to let Lai go.
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