US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday announced that he would bring Claire Lai (黎采), daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai (黎智英), as his guest to US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, the New York Times reported.
Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old democracy advocate, was on Feb. 9 sentenced to 20 years in prison on national security charges.
Beijing has accused him of orchestrating large-scale democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019. He was convicted of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces,” based in part on meetings with US politicians. The sentence was the harshest penalty imposed to date under Hong Kong’s National Security Law.
Photo: Reuters
Johnson in a statement praised Claire Lai’s “extraordinary courage,” saying that her attendance would underscore that “America is determined to secure Jimmy’s release.”
Jimmy Lai “devoted his career to championing democracy in Hong Kong” and is being punished for defending free speech and opposing repression by the Chinese Communist Party, Johnson said.
Claire Lai in the statement called her father’s sentence “heartbreakingly cruel,” warning that if the full term is carried out, he could die in prison.
Johnson’s move comes ahead of Trump’s planned trip to Beijing in April.
Claire Lai and her brother, Sebastien Lai (黎祟恩), have said the visit could be crucial to efforts to secure their father’s release.
Trump has previously said that he raised Jimmy Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and pledged during his presidential campaign that he would secure his release.
Johnson had also called for Jimmy Lai’s release during remarks to the British Parliament last month.
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