Jimmy Lai has been locked in solitary confinement for all but two days of his five and a half years in a Chinese prison. The 79-year-old Hong Kong media entrepreneur — sentenced to an additional 20 years this February for defending freedom — writes birthday wishes to his daughter from a tiny cell where temperatures reach 110 degrees with no proper ventilation.
His daughter Claire Lai published a Father’s Day tribute sharing what her father continues to teach her despite the communist government’s efforts to silence him.
“In many ways, my life came to a standstill at 23 when he was first charged.”
Jimmy Lai was born in mainland China shortly before the communists seized power. His father fled to Hong Kong, leaving the family behind. His grandmother was forced to kneel on broken glass every morning in public — a warning to families of those who ran.
Lai escaped to Hong Kong at age 12, worked as a laborer, and built a business and media empire on grit and integrity. His newspaper Apple Daily defended the freedoms Hong Kongers were promised by the communist government.
After pro-democracy demonstrations brought nearly a quarter of Hong Kong’s population to the streets, the government cracked down. Lai was arrested, tried, and convicted for supporting a marketplace of ideas and information.
Claire Lai described her father’s gentleness despite his tough upbringing. When her brother and cousin cut her hair as a child, he comforted her and promised professionals could make it grow back. When she failed to finish her first college exams due to poor time management, he comforted her on the phone for an hour while she cried.
Family visits were reduced early on to 24 hours a year — roughly 30 minutes per week.
During his trials, Claire found a gap in the glass defendant’s box where she could insert her hand and squeeze her father’s hand. Guards turned a blind eye.
“I would use one hand to pinch my other before squeezing my father’s hand so he couldn’t feel me trembling. I didn’t want him to sense my sadness over what had happened to my once robust father.”
Lai has now spent 2,000 days in prison. His health is rapidly failing. Without intervention, the treatment will continue for the rest of his natural life and will certainly shorten it, according to his daughter.
In his most recent letter, Lai asked if Claire had a good birthday and said how much he wished he could celebrate it with her. He reminded her not to regard helping someone as a burden but as a privilege.
Lai prays for the people who wrong him — whether guards or those who have celebrated his imprisonment. He remembers every generous gesture he has received, even those from when he was a boy.
Claire Lai wrote that her life came to a standstill at 23 when her father was first charged. The empty seat at the head of the table. His favorite foods prepared without him. The things filed away in the “we’ll do it later, with dad” category.
This Father’s Day, she gives thanks for the virtues he continues to teach her from his prison cell.
