Free China

September 4, 2026 — News + Editorial

Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence imposed in February 2026 after convictions on national-security and sedition-related charges. His family has continued to press for his release and has warned about his health after years in custody. Lai, the founder of Apple Daily and a British citizen, has denied wrongdoing and described himself as a political prisoner.

Why it matters

Lai’s case is not only about one publisher. He was a highly successful entrepreneur who could have protected his wealth by remaining silent. Instead, he used his resources and public voice to defend press freedom, democratic participation and the rule of law.

FCM editorial

Free China Movement sees Lai’s choice in a longer tradition of civic courage. Republican pioneers such as Qiu Jin and Lin Juemin, and the martyrs remembered through Huanghuagang, accepted extraordinary personal risk in the effort to awaken fellow Chinese to constitutional government and citizenship. Their historical circumstances were different, and FCM does not equate armed revolution with today’s peaceful democratic struggle. The common thread is the willingness to put principle above personal safety and comfort.

The same moral principle appeared in the American founding generation of the eighteenth century: liberty required people willing to risk their fortunes and security for institutions that could protect future generations. Today’s Chinese entrepreneurs do not need to seek martyrdom. They can support independent information, political prisoners, civil society, constitutional research, free enterprise and the rule of law.

FCM believes a future free China should protect private property, independent courts, freedom of speech and press, peaceful political opposition, free enterprise and government accountable to citizens. Prosperity and liberty should reinforce one another.

Sources: Reuters reporting on Lai’s February 2026 sentence and subsequent decision not to appeal; UK parliamentary and public reporting on continuing calls for his release and concern over his health.