On February 9th, 2026, seventy-eight-year-old Catholic democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in a Hong Kong prison. His crime: advocating for freedom of speech in China. As his daughter Claire Lai stated, “he will die a martyr behind bars.”
Jimmy Lai: a name all lovers of democracy should be familiar with. If you aren’t aware of who this man is, permit me to introduce you to this fearless and peaceful Catholic freedom fighter who has inspired me by his unwavering trust in God’s will for his life.
Jimmy Lai was born in the Canton region of China in the late 1940s; his birth year and date are not exactly known, but he celebrates his birthday on December 8th, which just happens to be a Marian Catholic feast day honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Little Jimmy was not born into a Catholic family, hence this feast day was not on the parents’ radar, so to speak. The Chinese Civil War was still raging at his birth, but once the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over the country, Jimmy and his siblings had to fend for themselves.
At the age of twelve, Jimmy stowed away on a boat and made it to Hong Kong; this is when his destiny was shaped. He found employment in a garment factory and eventually worked his way up to a managerial position and subsequently built his Giordano empire in the fashion industry. This man proved himself to be a financial wizard, setting up a media business, Next Digital, which become Hong Kong’s largest media company. Jimmy used his media empire to criticize the Chinese government as well as blend investigative journalism, celebrity news, and political reporting, all in one.
Jimmy had seen a real need for the Chinese people to have a voice following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and massacre. He wasted no time in founding his groundbreaking Apple Daily pro-democracy tabloid newspaper, fearlessly criticizing China and the Hong Kong government and wanting to bring attention to the lack of democracy and freedom for his people. This did not sit well with the Chinese authorities; Jimmy Lai was a threat to their power.
I remember watching these 1989 protests and the massacre on the news. I was in my twenties back then and was riveted by the demonstrated conviction of the Chinese students that democratic freedom was worth fighting for. I was rather ignorant of all the details, but I knew enough to understand the importance of the event. To this day, Chinese freedom fighters are still being persecuted for their belief in freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Jimmy Lai is the face of democracy activism in the 21st century.
One must understand that Jimmy was a billionaire and had become a British citizen in 1996 before the 1997 transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. He was not obliged to remain in Hong Kong; he could have fled to Europe or North America without impediment and live in relative peace and prosperity given that he knew the Chinese government was after him. He was continually being harassed and warned, yet he chose to stay and continue being a voice for democracy.
The CCP shut down his newspaper and arrested Jimmy in 2020. He was imprisoned in solitary confinement while awaiting the trial that would ultimately convict him at the end of 2025, based on a new national security law established by the Chinese government, meant to restrict free speech which could be viewed as subversive and a threat to the CCP. He has since been sentenced to twenty years in jail, which is literally a death sentence, given his age and poor health, according to his daughter Claire.
Every time I read about Jimmy Lai or hear his friends and family speak about him, I feel a sense of empathy and fellowship with him and his predicament. I live in Canada, which is enacting hate speech laws that curtail its citizens the freedom of expressing their belief-based convictions. Will I have the courage and trust in God’s Providence, like Mr. Lai, to stand firm in my beliefs, or will I let the fear of being arrested keep me silent?
Let me step back a bit, in order for readers to understand Jimmy Lai’s mindset. Long before his arrest, Jimmy had converted to Catholicism and was baptized in 1997 by none other than Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, another fearless witness to the Faith and to democracy, and a close friend who has stood by Jimmy’s side throughout this entire ordeal.
Indeed, Jimmy’s faith has always played an important role in his daily decisions, including the decision to stand his ground during the events that have put him behind bars. He believes in truth at all costs. As author Mark Simon states:
It is the journey of the oppressed Christian who wakes each day, knowing that his or her faith places one in harm’s way, yet who, with awareness and forethought, kneels and prays. Mr. Lai is willing to leave Hong Kong, but not at the price of refuting his beliefs.
What a witness, not only for democracy, but for one’s faith in God!
I marvel at his absolute acceptance of God’s will. In the face of injustice and spending the rest of his life in prison, his reaction is to read the Bible, pray, and draw pictures of our crucified Lord. He has always told his supporters to remain peaceful and never resort to violence, demonstrating his complete trust in God and His commandments.
When I am presented with this type of wholehearted surrender to God’s will, I can only bow my head in silent prayer: O God, may my faith be as strong and loyal at this person’s. May Jimmy Lai continue to be sustained by his faith, his loved ones and his many supporters around the world who are praying for him as he weathers this storm. May his friends and family keep strong in their own faith as they witness the injustice being perpetrated against Jimmy.
Like the Christian martyrs before him, Jimmy is a witness. May God shower Jimmy with the graces he needs to face the future. May our crucified Lord Jesus Christ accept Jimmy’s sacrifice, in union with His own passion, and eventually call him to Himself. Thanks be to God for the heroic sacrifice of Jimmy Lai, who is fighting for all of us.
With all my love and prayers.
Marie Brousseau
Author’s Note: Jimmy Lai’s hand-drawn depictions of the Crucifixion can be viewed both here and in this World Over Live program on YouTube.
This is the abridged and updated version of the original January 2026 article “Jimmy Lai: a hero and martyr for democracy,” which can be found on the author’s blog.
Photo by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash
