WASHINGTON, D.C., (Dec. 29, 2025) — The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK Foundation) on Monday released two open letters, signed by more than 50 U.S. and international organizations, urging President Donald Trump and key Congressional leaders to take immediate, concrete action following the guilty verdict of Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai, warning that his case represents a grave escalation in Beijing’s crackdown on press freedom and political dissent.
The groups call for the release of Lai, six of his former Apple Daily executives, and other political prisoners held in Hong Kong.
On Dec. 15, 2025, a panel of three national security judges found Lai guilty of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. The 855-page judgment cites interactions with U.S. political figures and officials — including contacts involving President Trump, members of his first administration, and members of Congress — as purported evidence of “collusion with foreign forces.” The verdict marks a decisive break with rule of law principles and fundamental protections for free expression and due process in Hong Kong. A mitigation hearing is scheduled to begin on Jan. 12, 2026, after which the court will proceed to sentencing; Lai now faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
The coalition’s call for action is also driven by urgent humanitarian concerns. Lai, 78, has been detained for more than five years, much of it in solitary confinement. Press freedom and human rights organizations, along with Lai’s family, have repeatedly raised alarm about his deteriorating health, citing significant weight loss, untreated medical conditions, and harsh prison conditions. The coalition warns that time is running out.
In the letters, we outline a coordinated approach combining immediate executive and congressional action:
- Making Lai’s release and meaningful steps to free political prisoners a central element for any high‑level engagement or potential presidential visit to Beijing in 2026, treating progress on human rights as integral to a stable, predictable environment for U.S. economic interests in the region.
- Targeted sanctions on the three national security judges in Lai’s trial — Esther Toh Lye-ping, Alex Lee Wan-tang, and Susana D’Almada Remedios — as well as prosecutors and Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for this political prosecution, using both executive authority and Congressional push to pass the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act (H.R. 733 / S. 1755).
- Reassessment of the privileges and immunities enjoyed by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in the United States, including a Congressional push to pass the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices Certification Act (H.R. 2661) and an administrative review that can be done without Congressional action.
“Jimmy Lai’s conviction is a direct attack on the U.S. Lai is being punished merely for his journalism, peaceful advocacy, and ordinary engagement with U.S. officials,” Frances Hui, the CFHK Foundation’s policy and advocacy coordinator, said. “No one should face life in prison for defending freedom and speaking to the world. President Trump and Congress have both the leverage and the responsibility to act now — to save a 78‑year‑old democracy advocate from dying in prison, to show Beijing that there are real costs for assaulting basic freedom, and to prove that standing with democracy and free speech is still in America’s strategic interest.”
NOTE: The Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities is delighted to join this grand coalition of over 55 U.S. and international human rights groups and organisations calling on U.S. leadership to take action following the Jimmy Lai verdict – before time runs out.
Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM) 