December 8, 2021
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is today launching an initiative to challenge China’s increasing oppression of Hong Kong.
Our campaign consists of concerned citizens worldwide recording a #LettertoLai to stand in solidarity with wrongfully imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai on his second birthday in prison.
The initiative is also bringing Apple Daily, the uncensored newspaper founded by Mr. Lai and forcibly closed by the Chinese Communist Party, back to life for a day.
Featured Letters to Lai
Lord Chris Patten
“I want to make certain that as many people as possible around the world stand up for Jimmy Lai, who is a hero of everybody who believes in freedom, liberty, and the rule of law.”
Kylie Moore-Gilbert
“I am sending a Letter to Lai to say that I support freedom for him, and for the people of Hong Kong.”
David Lega MEP
“I stand behind you, the people of Hong Kong, in the fight for freedom and democracy.”
Raphaël Glucksmann MEP
“I express my full solidarity with Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy and pro-freedom activist.”
Senator André Gattolin
“I am sending this letter today to Jimmy Lai to say that I stand with him.”
Berta Valle
“We are strongest when we stand together. And when we are united, we cannot be defeated.”
Senator Barry Ward
“Today I am sending this letter to Jimmy Lai to tell him that I stand with him and with the people of Hong Kong in their fight for freedom of expression.”
Waad Al Kateab
“We are all standing with you and with the people of Hong Kong in your fight for freedom. We are all thinking of you.”
Hillel Neuer
“I stand with him and the people of Hong Kong in their fight in the face of repression by the Chinese communist regime.”
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP
“We must stand with Jimmy Lai now and call out the Chinese government for this abuse of power.”
Kaveh Shahrooz
“We stand with you in your fight for freedom, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
Memory Banda
“I am standing with you and the people of Hong Kong as you are fighting for your freedom.”
Commissioner Nury Turkel
“When you try to silence one activist, you only encourage others to take action.”
Benedict Rogers
“Jimmy Lai is a dear friend and a true hero of mine, as he is for anybody who cares about democracy, freedom and human rights.”
Evan Mawarire
“To the people of Hong Kong: we stand with you until victory and justice is served.”
Colombe Cahen-Salvador
“Across the world, we need to unite. We need to stand with Hong Kong and send a message of solidarity.”
Edward Chin
“Today we want to pray for Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, and all the executives of that newspaper.”
Esteban Mendoza
“I’m filming this video to express my solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and with Mr. Lai.”
The Cambridge University Amnesty Society
“We are the Cambridge University Amnesty International Society. We stand in solidarity with pro-democracy activist and journalist Jimmy Lai.”
The Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley
“I stand with him and the people of Hong Kong.”
Special Edition of Apple Daily
“Ink-Stained Elbows”: Apple Daily as Hongkongers’ Collective Memory
By Glacier Kwong. Reading Apple Daily had been my daily routine as a child. Every night after dinner, the newspaper would be laid open on the ground, and I would be reading with my head propped on my elbows, because my hands were too small at the time to hold it up as adults do […]
What Happened to Hong Kong?
By Kevin Carrico. The transformation of Hong Kong from an imperfect yet reasonably liberal and livable society to a lawless tyranny that locks people away for thought crimes, all in the span of just over a year, is one of the great conundrums of our times. Hong Kong has long been a place […]
Apple Daily After the National Security Law
By Matt, An Apple Daily Reporter. If a journalist insists on telling the truth, he or she may be taking a risk, and the worst is facing charges by NSL, prison and a loss of freedom. Freedom is something we have lost now, from freedom of speech to freedom of press […]
Diary of a Hong Kong Reporter
By Sarah, an Apple Daily Reporter. I started working as an independent journalist after the closure of Apple Daily. People always asked me in these few months, “is it too dangerous to continue reporting now?” It is indeed, especially when people and friends around you are arrested and put on trial. You wake up every morning and do not want to read the news, because […]
The Uphill Battle for Freedom of Expression
By Finn Lau. Freedom of expression is not free. It never is. Whilst people enjoy freedom of expression in most developed countries nowadays, it was forged with tons of blood, toil and tears over many years. In some countries, like Hong Kong and Thailand, the fight continues in the 21st century […]
I Want to See My Friend, Jimmy Lai
By Mark Simon. Some probably know the story of Mr. Lai, smuggled from China over to Hong Kong in the bottom of a boat when he was 12. The very same day he arrived in Hong Kong he went to work in a garment factory. These days I often think of my friend as that 12 year old, alone, sleeping on a factory floor. I make this point, because I’m not certain even the Communists who have him imprisoned understand […]
The Broken Dream of “NyLonKong”
By Finn Lau. Half a million copies of the Apple Daily newspaper were printed the day after Beijing’s severe crackdown on the last pro-democracy print in Hong Kong on 17th June 2021. Long queues were seen around town as supporters flocked to get their hands on the last few issues of Apple Daily to show solidarity with […]
The State of Hong Kong’s Freedoms, And How The World Can Help
By Iris, An Independent Hong Kong Reporter. The hashtag #journalismisnotacrime is a terrible choice. To begin with, it’s too long for a Twitter hashtag. It is hard to read unless you capitalise the first letter of each word. But #JournalismIsNotACrime looks odd – you shouldn’t allow a hashtag to consume 21/280 of your characters. Still #JournalismIsNotACrime is trending from time to time. Why? […]
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is an international coalition of over twenty-five human rights NGOs from four continents.
On the eve of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s main session in Geneva, the Summit assembles each year hundreds of courageous dissidents, activists, diplomats, politicians and journalists to shine a light on urgent human rights situations that demand global attention.
Its annual conference has been featured by major media outlets such as CNN, Agence France Press, Associated Press, The LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others.
Between Summits the organization continues to expose human rights abuses worldwide by calling on its network of activists to stand up to repressive regimes such as China, Cuba, Russia or Venezuela.