Commemorating the 78th birthday of Jimmy Lai on December 8, 2025, as "Jimmy Lai Day", for his role in advocating for free press, religious freedom, and democracy in Hong Kong, and calling on the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong authorities to release Jimmy Lai and all other Hong Kong prodemocracy advocates from prison.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
This resolution commemorates Jimmy Lai's 78th birthday on December 8, 2025, by designating it "Jimmy Lai Day" and recognizing his decades of advocacy for press freedom, religious liberty, and democracy in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai, a successful businessman who founded the newspaper Apple Daily, has been arrested multiple times since 2014 for his pro-democracy activism and currently remains imprisoned under Hong Kong's National Security Law, with sentences totaling approximately 96 months for charges including unlawful assembly and fraud. The resolution condemns the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for dismantling Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms promised under international agreements, documenting claims of systematic abuse including solitary confinement and medical neglect affecting nearly 2,000 pro-democracy political prisoners. The House of Representatives calls on China and Hong Kong authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Lai and all other pro-democracy advocates imprisoned for exercising free expression rights. This is a symbolic measure with no funding or enforcement mechanism—it expresses congressional support for Lai and criticism of the Chinese government's handling of Hong Kong's political situation.
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