Alongside other Apple Daily staff, Lai was arrested in August 2020 after the Chinese government cracked down on Hong Kong and ended its previous status as a semiautonomous free city. In a telling move, the authorities went so far as to destroy Lai’s media company and the paper, not just arrest its leadership.
But Lai’s arrest wasn’t inevitable. Perhaps the most haunting yet inspiring part of his story, as told by Gigot, is that Lai had the opportunity to flee Hong Kong before he was arrested. He chose to remain and face the perverse “justice” that awaited him rather than run from the forces working against democracy and freedom. That takes a level of bravery that’s difficult to comprehend.
What does any of this have to do with Americans?
Well, for one thing, Lai’s only hope of release seems to be some form of negotiation from the U.S. government. Given our support as a nation and government for the freedom cause in Hong Kong, the Biden administration should do whatever it can to help his cause. But more broadly, Lai’s story should remind us why a free press is so important.