A Hong Kong Tragedy — and a Test for the U.S.

A fter five years of unjust imprisonment, Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old publisher and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, effectively a life sentence. From the start, Lai’s prosecution has been a sham. He was arrested on charges of sedition and colluding with foreign forces under the National Security Law and denied access to his chosen counsel and a jury trial. His case was repeatedly postponed for more than two years; finally, in December 2025, a guilty verdict was handed down by three judges handpicked by the Hong Kong government. Six former Apple Daily executives were sentenced alongside him. Lai’s sentence, of course, was essentially predetermined before his arrest.

Lai’s case isn’t an isolated Orwellian tragedy. It’s the starkest expression yet of how Beijing and its proxies have systematically dismantled Hong Kong’s freedoms and how the promise of “one country, two systems” has become a tool of tyranny. The charges against him — “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and “conspiracy to publish seditious materials” — are rooted not in violence or corruption, but in critical journalism and peaceful advocacy for democratic values.

Now is the time for those in the West, who enjoy the myriad freedoms that democratic values offer, to stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party. That publishing a newspaper critical of Beijing or liaising with foreign political figures is criminalized is a chilling statement about press freedom and civil liberties in Hong Kong.

For years, Western governments have denounced China’s repression in Hong Kong. But words haven’t translated into consequences significant enough to alter Beijing’s behavior. That must change.

President Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in April. This is a rare and important diplomatic moment: If Trump is serious about human rights — as he has said he is — then securing Lai’s freedom and that of other political prisoners must be part of his agenda. Trump has the chance to do what his British counterpart, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, failed to do in January (Lai is a British citizen) in freeing Lai.

This isn’t a parochial plea; it’s a test of whether the United States will defend its core values on the global stage rather than treat human rights as an afterthought in economic negotiations.

In Washington, lawmakers are already moving legislation that directly addresses Hong Kong’s descent into authoritarianism and the broader issue of political repression.

Among the measures pending are the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act, which would acknowledge the clear erosion of Hong Kong’s promised autonomy and adjust U.S. diplomatic and economic engagement accordingly; the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act, which would impose accountability on judges and prosecutors who participate in politically motivated prosecutions; and House resolutions commemorating Jimmy Lai’s sacrifice and calling for the release of political prisoners.

These aren’t symbolic gestures. They’re practical tools to impose tangible costs on repression — costs that Beijing currently calculates as affordable. It’s time for this calculation to end.

Lai has been continuously detained since December 2020 and has spent much of that time in solitary confinement with deteriorating health. With this sentence, the world is witnessing the silencing of one of Hong Kong’s most courageous voices for freedom. This isn’t just a personal tragedy for those who know and love Lai. It’s a signal to dissidents everywhere that even the most visible advocates can be shut up permanently.

Americans have long prided themselves on standing for liberty and human rights. Our founding creed, “that all men are created equal,” must extend beyond rhetoric, especially when it comes to defending freedoms abroad.

If the U.S. allows Lai’s sentencing to pass without serious diplomatic leverage or legislative consequence, it will embolden authoritarian governments everywhere to double down on repression. But if the United States seizes this moment — tying human rights outcomes to trade, diplomacy, and legal accountability — it can still be a force for defending the oppressed.

President Trump and members of Congress have an opportunity over the coming weeks and months to turn words into action. They should do so now, before it’s too late, and remain on the right side of history.