[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 930 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 930
Commemorating the 78th birthday of Jimmy Lai on December 8, 2025, as
``Jimmy Lai Day'', for his role in advocating for free press, religious
freedom, and democracy in Hong Kong, and calling on the People's
Republic of China and Hong Kong authorities to release Jimmy Lai and
all other Hong Kong prodemocracy advocates from prison.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 4, 2025
Mr. Moolenaar (for himself, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Carson,
Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Moulton, Mr.
McCaul, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Miller of Ohio, and Mr. Suozzi) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 78th birthday of Jimmy Lai on December 8, 2025, as
``Jimmy Lai Day'', for his role in advocating for free press, religious
freedom, and democracy in Hong Kong, and calling on the People's
Republic of China and Hong Kong authorities to release Jimmy Lai and
all other Hong Kong prodemocracy advocates from prison.
Whereas Lai Chee-ying (Jimmy Lai) was born on December 8, 1947, in Guangzhou;
Whereas, at the age of 12, Lai entered the territory of Hong Kong in 1959 as a
stowaway on a boat, beginning work as a child laborer in a garment
factory;
Whereas, in 1981, Lai founded Giordano, a clothing retailer that operated
thousands of stores in over 30 countries;
Whereas, in 1989, the Tiananmen Square massacre and related protests inspired
Lai to support Hong Kong's prodemocracy movement;
Whereas, in 1995, Lai founded the newspaper Apple Daily, with the inspiration to
maintain freedom of speech in Hong Kong following the then-forthcoming
handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997;
Whereas, on December 13, 2014, Lai was arrested for his role as a prodemocracy
leader during Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement;
Whereas, on January 15, 2015, Lai's home and media facilities were attacked with
incendiary devices, with the crimes being reported as an ``attack on
press freedom'';
Whereas, on February 28, 2020, Lai was arrested for illegal assembly during a
prodemocracy protest;
Whereas, on April 18, 2020, Lai was arrested for participating in a peaceful
march from Causeway Bay to Charter Road in Central in August 2019 and in
a National Day protest in October 2019;
Whereas, on August 10, 2020, Lai was arrested for ``fraud'' and ``collusion with
foreign forces'' under the Chinese Communist Party-directed Hong Kong
National Security Law over his advocacy for Hong Kong democracy
alongside United States Government officials;
Whereas, that same day, over 200 Hong Kong police officers raided the offices of
Apple Daily and arrested 7 senior executives of the media company for
``collusion with foreign forces'' under the National Security Law, along
with Lai's two sons;
Whereas, on December 3, 2020, Lai's bail was revoked, and Lai was arrested on
spurious grounds for ``fraud'';
Whereas, on December 23, 2020, Lai was granted bail and placed under house
arrest;
Whereas, on December 31, 2020, Lai's bail was revoked, and Lai was ordered back
to prison, beginning his yearslong detention;
Whereas, on April 16, 2021, Lai was sentenced to 14 months in prison for
``unlawful assembly'' during the 2019 protests;
Whereas, on December 13, 2021, Lai was sentenced to an additional 13 months in
prison for ``inciting'' others to attend a Tiananmen Square memorial
candlelight vigil in 2020;
Whereas, on December 10, 2022, Lai was sentenced to 69 months in jail over
fraud;
Whereas, following the handover of Hong Kong and its establishment as a Special
Administrative Region, it was guaranteed rights and liberties, a
``capitalist system and way of life'', and a ``high degree of autonomy''
until 2047;
Whereas the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region governments in the ensuing decades have failed to deliver genuine
universal suffrage in the election of Hong Kong's Chief Executive as
guaranteed under Hong Kong Basic Law and eroded Hong Kong's autonomy by
suppressing the freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly;
Whereas Hong Kong's autonomy from the People's Republic of China has been
exceedingly dismantled, and its once-independent political and legal
institutions now operate under tight control from Beijing with decisions
increasingly directed by the central government that prioritize Chinese
Communist Party concerns over the rule of law;
Whereas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region authorities have jailed nearly
2,000 political prisoners for defending freedom and democracy since the
outbreak of the 2019 prodemocracy movement;
Whereas the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region governments have systematically subjected Lai and other political
prisoners in Hong Kong to prolonged solitary confinement, forced
political indoctrination and psychiatric detention, physical and sexual
abuse, and medical neglect, all of which constitute grave violations of
international human rights standards and the fundamental dignity of
individuals; and
Whereas systematic abuse in Hong Kong's prison system has severely impacted the
health of Jimmy Lai, who suffers from diabetes and is in poor health:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the recognition of ``Jimmy Lai Day'';
(2) applauds Jimmy Lai and affirms its support for his
courageous leadership in advocating for free press, religious
freedom, and democracy in Hong Kong;
(3) condemns Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong
authorities for dismantling the freedoms, autonomy, and rule of
law that were promised under international agreements and
continuing to silence dissent, undermine judicial independence,
and violate the rights of Hong Kong's people; and
(4) calls upon Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong
authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy
Lai and all other Hong Kong prodemocracy advocates unjustly
imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression.
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