Jimmy Lai’s 20-year sentence echoes through Washington as Congress puts Beijing’s crackdown in the spotlight
A Seat Reserved for Conscience
On the night of February 24, 2026, when President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, one seat in the chamber carried the weight of Hong Kong’s democratic struggle. Claire Lai, daughter of jailed media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, attended the address as the guest of Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey who has been one of the most consistent voices for human rights in China over his four decades in Congress. The decision to bring Claire Lai was coordinated with House Speaker Mike Johnson, giving the moment institutional weight that went beyond a single congressman’s gesture.
Jimmy Lai: The Man Behind the Seat
Jimmy Lai founded Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s most popular pro-democracy tabloid, which ran vivid, unflinching coverage of Beijing’s erosion of the city’s freedoms from the 1997 handover until its forced closure in 2021. Lai had been arrested in August 2020 under the national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong, breaking promises made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that the city would enjoy a high degree of autonomy. After years of pretrial detention and a lengthy national security trial, Lai was sentenced earlier this month to 20 years in prison. He is 76 years old. The charges against him — conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious publications — are charges that in any free society would describe journalism. Reporters Without Borders has designated Jimmy Lai a prisoner of conscience and has campaigned for his release alongside dozens of press freedom organizations worldwide. The Committee to Protect Journalists has listed him among the most prominent imprisoned journalists in the world.
Chris Smith’s Long Record on Hong Kong
Rep. Smith chaired a 2023 congressional hearing at which Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien testified about his father’s case. Smith has introduced legislation calling for targeted sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for the national security law’s implementation. “They love and respect their father so much, which further inspires us all to act,” Smith said. “Including President Trump, who has raised Jimmy Lai’s unjust incarceration numerous times.”
The Wider Context in New Jersey’s Delegation
Smith’s choice placed him alongside New Jersey colleagues who were each using their State of the Union guest to make a political statement. Rep. Frank Pallone and Rep. Nellie Pou brought Gateway Tunnel construction workers affected by the Trump administration’s infrastructure funding freeze. Rep. Herb Conaway brought a constituent who filmed a confrontation with ICE agents at her front door. Rep. Rob Menendez brought the niece of a Colombian asylum seeker facing deportation. The diversity of causes represented in those seats reflected a delegation using the ceremonial occasion to project the human stakes of national policy choices — exactly the purpose the tradition of congressional guests is designed to serve.
What Claire Lai’s Presence Means for Hong Kong
Claire Lai’s attendance at the State of the Union is a reminder that the fate of Hong Kong’s democracy movement has not been forgotten in Washington. It is a reminder that Jimmy Lai is still in a cell while the government that put him there continues to claim international legitimacy and trade partnerships with the democratic world. The U.S. State Department’s human rights report on China and Hong Kong documents the systematic dismantling of civil liberties in the city, including the prosecution of journalists and activists under the national security law. Jimmy Lai’s case is not an aberration. It is the system’s most visible expression.
The Question for Washington and the World
Trump has raised Jimmy Lai’s case with Chinese officials on multiple occasions. The question that Claire Lai’s presence implicitly poses is whether raising the case is enough, or whether the United States is willing to make the cost of holding Jimmy Lai tangible to Beijing through sanctions or trade leverage. The democracy movement that Jimmy Lai devoted his media empire to supporting has been suppressed but not extinguished. It lives in the diaspora, in congressional hearings, and in the faces of the children who attend State of the Union addresses on behalf of parents who cannot.
Senior Journalist & Editor, Apple Daily UK
Contact: athena.lai@appledaily.uk
Athena Lai is a senior journalist and editor with extensive experience in Chinese-language investigative reporting and editorial leadership. Educated at a leading journalism school in the United Kingdom, Athena received formal training in fact-checking methodology, editorial governance, and international media standards, grounding her work in globally recognized best practices.
She has held senior editorial roles at Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, where she oversaw coverage of Hong Kong civil liberties, diaspora politics, rule of law, and press freedom. Athena’s reporting is distinguished by disciplined sourcing, cross-verification, and a clear separation between factual reporting and opinion, reinforcing reader trust.
Beyond reporting, Athena has served as an editor responsible for mentoring journalists, enforcing ethical guidelines, and managing sensitive investigations. Her newsroom leadership reflects real-world experience navigating legal risk, source protection, and editorial independence under pressure.
Athena’s authority comes from both her byline history and her editorial stewardship. She has reviewed and approved hundreds of articles, ensuring compliance with defamation standards, accuracy benchmarks, and responsible language use. Her work demonstrates lived experience within high-stakes news environments rather than theoretical expertise.
Committed to journalistic integrity, Athena believes credible journalism is built on transparency, accountability, and institutional memory. Her role at Apple Daily UK reflects that commitment, positioning her as a trusted voice within independent Chinese media.
