Jimmy Lai Faces Communist Justice in Hong Kong
WSJ | Paul A. Gigot
A important reminder that freedom is not free, and that courageous individuals such as Apple Daily and Next Media’s Jimmy Lai, a Chinese sweatshop-to-riches billionaire who has chosen to fight for freedom over safety and comfort, is now on trial in Hong Kong. “Those of us in the American press like to use the cliché of speaking truth to power… But truth be told, we have it easy. We write under the protection of the First Amendment and the American rule of law. We have little chance of suffering for our work, and we congratulate ourselves with prizes—often with more self-regard than we deserve.”
“China’s Communists have jailed him because even at his advanced age [of 74] they fear him. He is a dangerous example of the power of freedom, which he has dared to fight for no matter the consequences…He will no doubt be convicted, and he may spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“Jimmy could have lived the rest of his life in billionaire comfort,” writes Gigot. “But in 1989 he watched the Tiananmen massacre unfold in Beijing, and he decided to bring the message of freedom to the people of Hong Kong and China.”
What can we do? “For those of us today who are free, those of us who are protected by the First Amendment, those of us with a platform to speak—our job is to keep Jimmy’s story alive,” urges Gigot. “To never let the world forget this just man’s unjust treatment.”
