Ahead of her father’s 78th birthday, Claire Lai pleads for imprisoned pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, whose Catholic faith sustains him in prison.
Newsroom (09/12/2025 Gaudium Press )Under the dim prison lights of Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai—once a tycoon, now a symbol of resistance—waits for a verdict that has stretched into its fifth year. His daughter, Claire Lai, breaks her public silence ahead of her father’s 78th birthday, a milestone shadowed by confinement yet brightened by enduring faith. “Every day, I wake up and hope that today is the day we get my dad home,” she told EWTN News. For Claire, even the thought of sharing a family meal or attending Mass together has become a symbol of hope—one that years ago she admits she nearly took for granted.
A Father’s Faith, A Daughter’s Hope
Jimmy Lai’s story is etched into the modern narrative of Hong Kong’s struggle for democracy. A self-made entrepreneur, he founded Apple Daily, a newspaper that stood as one of the city’s last bastions of free press before Beijing’s tightening grip silenced it. Arrested in 2020 under the sweeping National Security Law, Lai was accused of “colluding with foreign forces”—a charge many human rights observers call politically motivated.
Now, as he awaits a verdict that could define his remaining years, his daughter describes a man not defeated, but spiritually strengthened. “My father’s incarceration has just deepened his faith,” she said. “There isn’t anything quite like suffering that opens your heart to God’s love.”
Born into hardship, Lai came to Hong Kong from mainland China as a 12-year-old stowaway. His rise from child laborer to publisher and philanthropist carried the imprint of determination—and later, divine providence. Claire recounts that her father’s conversion to Catholicism came during a moment of political uncertainty: the 1997 handover from Britain to China. “As Our Lady has taught us,” she said, “there is nothing that conquers doubt and fear except for the love of God.”
Faith Inside the Cell
Lai’s devotion remains his lifeline. Each night around midnight, he wakes to pray, and before dawn, he reads the Gospel—though guards often refuse his request to turn on a light. His cell, Claire said, is an emblem of deliberate deprivation. Windows that should offer sunlight are blocked; the Eucharist, a central element of Lai’s Catholic faith, is largely denied.
“The conditions aren’t a natural byproduct of prison,” Claire insisted. “They’re intentional.” In summer, temperatures soar above 111 degrees Fahrenheit, and typhoon rains seep through the walls. Lai checks his Bible first whenever water floods the cell. “It was the one thing that remained dry,” Claire recalled. “We’re grateful that Our Lord and Our Lady continue to watch over him.”
Her voice wavers when recalling a story that reveals both faith and frailty. During a fall in the shower, too weak to stand, her father prayed with an imaginary rosary in his hand—“and then he was able to get up without pain,” she said. The family’s every attempt to send a physical rosary has been blocked by authorities.
A Crumbling Legal System
For Claire, who studied law, watching her father’s trial unfold became both professional and deeply personal anguish. A two-year proceeding she describes as “deeply unfair” was filled with gag orders, delays, and a bench “not neutral in any sense of the word.”
“The rule of law has broken down,” she said. “His case is at the helm of that collapse.” Despite these obstacles—and the toll on his health—Jimmy Lai’s composure endures. “All they’ve proven,” Claire said with quiet conviction, “is that my father is a good man who loves God, freedom, truth, and his family.”
Growing Health Concerns
Time behind bars has ravaged Lai’s body. He has lost significant weight, suffers from infections that persist despite treatment, and his nails and limbs show signs of serious deterioration. “He doesn’t complain,” Claire said. “But even from a distance, you can see the pain.” His health struggles compound his solitude, heightening fears that Lai may not survive prison conditions designed, critics say, to break his spirit.
Even so, Claire says her father “remains guided by God.” His belief that providence led him long before his conversion now sustains him. “Even before he opened his heart to the love of God, he was guided by Him,” she recalled. “That’s how he wants to be remembered—a faithful servant of Our Lord.”
Calls for International Support
Jimmy Lai holds British citizenship, and Claire urges London to leverage its diplomatic influence. “He’s in prison for standing in defense of the freedoms he first came to know as a child,” she said, invoking Britain’s unfulfilled promise under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Lai’s case has drawn attention far beyond Hong Kong. U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to “do everything possible” to secure Lai’s release. Claire expressed gratitude for international voices, including Pope Leo XIV, who met with the Lai family in October and assured them of his prayers.
A Public Plea for Mercy
As her father’s 78th birthday coincided with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Claire reflected on the mysterious alignment of faith and fate. “We just pray Our Lady continues to protect him,” she said. Yet beneath her composure runs a plea both personal and political.
“If I could speak to the Chinese government,” she said, “I’d ask them to do the only just and honorable thing: release a 78-year-old man against whom no case has been made. Don’t let him die a martyr in these conditions.”
The words carry both defiance and an aching daughter’s love. From inside a prison cell, Jimmy Lai’s unwavering faith continues to shine as a beacon for those who believe that truth—and conscience—remain stronger than tyranny.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA News
Related Images:
