Mr. Speaker, St. Thomas More was the Lord Chancellor of England, and he was imprisoned and executed because he refused to violate his conscience. Today, watching the sentencing of Jimmy Lai, it is impossible not to see the parallels between More and this modern champion of truth and justice.
Jimmy Lai fled mainland China and arrived in Hong Kong as a penniless refugee at the age of 12. He went on to become an incredibly successful entrepreneur and media mogul. After the Tiananmen Square massacre, he fully oriented his resources toward freedom, democracy and justice.
Lai was baptized by another Hong Kong democracy hero, Cardinal Joseph Zen, right after the infamous handover. As a man of faith, Lai fearlessly redoubled his efforts to defend his home from tyranny. For his fight, Jimmy Lai has now been handed a 20-year prison sentence. Christians will see these events through the lens of the cross and redemptive suffering. Lai's fight for Hong Kong does not end today. It only grows through his sacrifice.
I call on the Prime Minister to speak out in support of Jimmy Lai's release.