The story of Jimmy Lai, a 77-year-old Hong Kong businessman turned human rights activist and convert to Catholicism, is unfolding at the intersection of politics and religion between China, the Vatican, and the US. Of profound significance for those who cherish human dignity, freedom, and the enduring principles of Christian humanism, Lai’s activism led to his solitary confinement for five years. His commitment to his now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, led to his incarceration by the CCP. Lai’s persecution has come to represent the broader battle today for human rights, including freedom of, conscience in the face of 21st-century oppression.
In February, this battle took on an additional layer of complexity during Jimmy’s nearly 150-day-long sham national security law trial, with 47 days of testimony, when Judge Esther Toh, one of the presiding judges, made the striking remark, “We are Chinese,” directed toward him. This initiated a colloquy between Toh and Lai: Lai: “No, I am a Hong Konger because of One Country, Two Systems.” Toh: “Mr. Lai, are you yellow-skinned?” Lai: “If I am yellow-skinned, does that mean I am Chinese? I am a Hong Konger.” Toh: “You are Chinese.”
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