Statement on the Guilty Verdict of Jimmy Lai

"Apple Man" - credit: Lumli Lumlong

December 15, 2025

Statement by the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM)

On the Guilty Verdict of Jimmy Lai

The Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM) condemns the guilty verdict against Jimmy Lai and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Jimmy Lai’s case is one of three cornerstone national security prosecutions — alongside the HK47 case and the Hong Kong Alliance case — that together demonstrate how the National Security Law is being used to dismantle Hong Kong’s civil society and extinguish peaceful dissent.

This was not a fair trial, and an unfair trial can never produce a just verdict. After reviewing the 800-page judgment, it is clear that there is no evidence that Jimmy Lai committed any act that would constitute a crime in any democratic society. There is no violence, no incitement, and no genuine threat to public safety. What is being criminalized is journalism, belief, and peaceful advocacy.

At 78 years old, Jimmy Lai is diabetic and has been held in prolonged solitary confinement under harsh prison conditions, including extreme heat and severe isolation. He has also been denied regular access to religious worship and the Eucharist. We are now facing the very real risk of an innocent man dying in prison simply for standing up for truth, freedom, democracy, and human dignity.

Jimmy Lai could have left Hong Kong. He chose to stay because he believed Hong Kong still mattered — and because he believed standing with its people was a moral responsibility. That choice should never be treated as a crime.

The increasing direct implication of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong’s legal and political systems has erased any remaining illusion of judicial independence. Engagement with China cannot be divorced from the protection of democratic values, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights.

VSSDM urges the Government of Canada to move beyond expressions of concern and take concrete action. Jimmy Lai’s case must be raised directly at the highest political levels, in close coordination with international partners. These cases can only be resolved leader to leader, and meaningful pressure must be applied collectively to demonstrate that there are real consequences for continued injustice.

We also call on more democratic states to publicly demand Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release and to work together on a coordinated international response. Silence and fragmentation only embolden repression.

There is a moral responsibility on all governments, institutions, and individuals with leverage to act now — before it is too late. Jimmy Lai should be free.

— Edmund Leung​

Chair, Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM)

VSSDM Statement - Jimmy Lai's Verdict.pdf

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