Jimmy Lai Must Be Freed

It is an honor to be alive at the same time as newspaperman and freedom fighter Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy icon who has been jailed by Chinese Community Party–affiliated authorities since late 2020.

We must not forget him. His daughter, Claire, gave this rare, beautiful interview this week to Montse Alvarado on EWTN.

Do not forget Jimmy. Do not forget his courage. Do not forget his faith — his love for Christ. Do not forget his commitment to truth and freedom.

Claire talks about how her father’s faith has only deepened during his incarceration. Authorities will not allow him to receive the Eucharist, have a rosary, or have light to read Scripture. But he prays on. The 78-year-old’s cell can get up to 111°F in the summer — which gives him heat rashes. He is diabetic and has developed heart problems during this ordeal in solitary confinement. And he does not complain about any of it.

“My father,” Claire says, “draws the crucifixion and the blessed mother at the Annunciation when she said yes to the Archangel Gabriel. He started drawing it five years ago.”

“Like our Blessed Mother,” she says, “he is submitting to the will of our Lord. And just like our Lady accompanied our Lord in his suffering, he wants to get close to our lord in his own suffering and be able to devote it to Him.”

For a while, he was mailing to people — including to schoolchildren — some of his drawings. One of his pieces is on display at my alma mater, the Catholic University of America. He has since been prohibited from sharing his work, but he is privately practicing drawing the Pietà. I cannot imagine what a beautifully intimate prayer that must be.

Please take the time to listen to Jimmy Lai’s daughter:

And if you haven’t watched the Acton Institute’s documentary on Jimmy Lai’s story, The Hong Konger, it is here.