The Fight for Freedom: Jimmy Lai and Democracy in Hong Kong

On September 7th at 4:00 PM ET, the Ronald Reagan Institute’s Center for Freedom and Democracy in Washington, D.C. will be hosting an in-person event, which will also be live streamed to a virtual audience, titled, “The Fight for Freedom: Jimmy Lai and Democracy in Hong Kong.” Co-sponsored by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the event will feature a screening of The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom, followed by a panel discussion about Jimmy Lai’s case and the state of freedom in Hong Kong today.

The Hong Konger is a documentary by the Acton Institute. When Hong Kong’s basic freedoms came under attack, newspaper publisher and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai found himself in the crosshairs of the state and faced choosing between defending Hong Kong’s long-standing liberties and ensuring his own freedom. Jimmy’s story is one that ought to reignite a persistent movement to defend the cause of freedom for Hong Kongers, for China as a whole, and humanity everywhere.

The event will feature opening remarks from Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai and leader of the campaign to secure his father’s freedom. Following the film screening, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Jay Nordlinger of National Review. In addition to Sebastien Lai, the panel will include Dr. Mark Clifford of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Sunny Cheung of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, a human rights lawyer serving as international counsel for Jimmy & Sebastien Lai.