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George Orwell famously said, “If freedom means something at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” On World Press Freedom DayWe need to remind ourselves of the people who have lost their freedom by fighting for that right.
My father Jimmy Lai is one such man. He is currently in prison Stanley Maximam Security in Hong Kong, faced with a potential life imprisonment because of the simply posting of what the Chinese authorities do not want to hear.
His story is one of the extraordinary transformations and unwavering beliefs. Arriving at Hong Kong at the age of 12 Escape of Communist ChinaHe started his journey as a worker at a clothing factory, durable difficulties and poverty.
Sebastien Lai with his father Jimmy, one of 10 journalists who are held in Hong Kong prisons, some of whom worked for him at Apple Daily. (Fox News)
However, through a bite and vision, he stood up from a factory worker to a factory manager, and by 1975 he used his savings to buy a bankruptcy clothing factory. This brave move laid the foundation for its first great success: Giordano, a chain of clothing that grew into an international brand with thousands of employees and stores across Asia.
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1989 Tiananmen Square marked a turning point for him. Testifying the brutal suppression of protesters of pro-democracy, he redirected his life’s work from work to activism, determined in the fight for freedom and human rights in Hong Kong.
In 1995, he founded Apple Daily, a newspaper that quickly became a lighthouse for freedom of speech and democracy, not afraid to criticize the Chinese Communist Party and expose corruption. My father in the venture inserted $ 100 million of his own wealth, ensuring independence and fearless reporting.
His media empire, including the next magazine and the Apple Daily, has become a megaphone for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy, gathering citizens and challenging authorities. His open criticism for Beijing and unwavering support for the protesters made him a target.
Sebastien Lai holds a photo of his father Jimmy Lai at a meeting in the Geneva Summit 2025 for human rights and democracy. (UN Watch)
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The CCP labeled it as “problematic”, and its companies faced retaliation, including the closure of his Giordano Beijing store after a controversial column. Still, he never waved, he knew he said: “The information is the choice and the choice is freedom” using both high-or-popular and popular content to spread the message of freedom.
His commitment to the principle has singled it out of other tycoons. While many are business leaders in Hong Kong He chose silence or compromise, stood alone, withstanding threats, arrests and eventually prison for his beliefs. In 2014, he was arrested during a protest of a predominant umbrella, and in 2020, while Beijing tightened his grip on Hong Kong, my father was again detained under the Draconian National Security Act.
Despite the risks, he refused to escape, deciding to stay in Hong Kong and continue his position for his beliefs, even when Apple Daily was forced to close, even while he is now facing the possibility of the rest of his life behind bars.
My father’s life testifies to the power of belief. He is not just a businessman or media mogul – he is a symbol of freedom and hope for many. His external status, as an immigrant who never completely fitted, gave him the strength to play according to his rules and challenge the status quo.
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a center that founded the Apple Daily newspaper, were arrested at his Hong Kong on April 18, 2020, police officers. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, file)
Despite his wealth and influence, he remains deeply human – husband, father and practices Catholic. We miss his blooming voice and a stormy laugh around our dinner table. We long for the day we can share the meal again, pray together again.
In the last few months, both presidents Donald Trump and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio They publicly stated their commitment to the insurance of my father’s freedom, in accordance with the president’s priority of the release of those who were mis -detained abroad. He has secured the release of 14 prisoners since he assumed his duty in January.
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My father is fortunate to have deep two -sided support in this country and abroad. The United States and the United Kingdom called for his direct and unconditional edition, as well as the parliaments of Canada and the EU. He has received numerous awards for his courage, and I will receive a Bradley award on his behalf on May 29 in Washington. But he stays in jail.
My father is one of 10 journalists still holding on to Hong Kong prisons, some of whom worked for him at Apple Daily. Although perhaps the most prominent among them, all these journalists fought for their right to tell the truth about power and defend their way of life.
Their courage reminds us that freedom has never been guaranteed – it must fight for it, often at great personal costs. In spite of the superior power, my father’s father, his willingness to sacrifice everything because of his principles and the belief in the dignity of each individual make him a true hero of our time.
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With 77 years he spent the last four years in maximum security prison for these beliefs. His legacy endured as a lighthouse of hope, showing that only one person’s courage can change the course of history.
The end of my father’s story is not yet written. This World Press Freedom DayI appeal to everyone who nurtures freedom of speech to join our struggle to ensure the release of their father so that he can leave Hong Kong and spend old age with his family.
