December 23, 2025
The Honorable James E. Risch
Chairman
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
United States Congress
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Brian Mast
Chairman
House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States Congress
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen
Ranking Member
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
United States Congress
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Gregory Meeks
Ranking Member
House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States Congress
2471 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Risch and Mast, and Ranking Member Shaheen and Meeks:
We write as Hong Kong community organizations in the United States and international NGOs to urge swift Congressional action in response to the recent guilty verdict against Jimmy Lai and the continued imprisonment of six other Apple Daily executives in Hong Kong.
Last week, Mr. Lai was convicted of “colluding with foreign forces” and “conspiracy to publish seditious materials” based on his journalism, peaceful advocacy, and ordinary engagement with U.S. and other government officials as a publisher and businessman. The 855-page judgment cites interactions with President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Members of Congress, and other political figures as evidence of “foreign collusion.” President Trump’s name appears 197 times, and there are numerous other mentions of interactions with U.S. officials and Members of Congress. These meetings and communications are being used as reasons to persecute and jail Mr. Lai. No one should be jailed for merely talking to U.S. government officials, and strong actions are needed to show the Chinese and Hong Kong governments that this will not be tolerated in the U.S.-China relationship.
Mr. Lai is a 78-year-old entrepreneur and founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong that the Hong Kong government shuttered in 2021. Now, after more than five years in detention, he is in fragile health, and he faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment. Reports from those close to him describe serious concerns about his physical condition following prolonged solitary confinement. We know time is running out.
We therefore ask you to respond with strong, concrete measures when Congress is back in session with an aim to secure his immediate release on humanitarian grounds and protect others who may be targeted in the same way. In particular, we urge your committees to advance the following legislation:
- H.Res. 930 to support and call for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices Certification Act (H.R. 2661) to reassess Hong Kong’s special office privileges in the United States in light of the collapse of its promised autonomy and judicial independence.
- Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act (H.R. 733 / S. 1755) to sanction judges, prosecutors, and officials responsible for political prosecutions, including those involved in the Jimmy Lai case.
- Stop CCP Money Laundering Act (S. 1339 / H.R. 3264) to address Hong Kong’s role in sanctions evasion and illicit financial flows that help sustain repression by authoritarian regimes globally.
We ask that you prioritize these measures; use committee oversight and public leadership to make clear that Jimmy Lai’s release is a U.S. priority; and press the Administration to pair congressional action with immediate executive measures.
These bipartisan steps would show that Congress will not remain silent and that there are real consequences when courts choose to criminalize free expression and engagement with the United States. It would also signal to Hong Kong authorities that the fastest way to reduce pressure—and to begin repairing their reputation as a global financial center—is to release Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners.
We write with respect for your leadership and with confidence that you can act decisively in a way that will be remembered by the people of Hong Kong and many around the world. What Congress does now can help decide whether Mr. Lai spends the rest of his life in prison or lives long enough to see freedom again.
Respectfully,
U.S.-based Hong Kong Organizations
1. Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation
2. Chicago Solidarity with Hong Kong
3. Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley (HKAAB)
4. Hong Kong Democracy Council
5. Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles
6. Hong Kongers in San Diego
7. Hong Kongers in San Francisco Bay Area
8. HongKonger Community Center
9. HKERS Care Team
10. JF Books
11. KONGcentric
12. Lamp of Liberty
13. Lion Rock Café
14. New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong (NY4HK)
15. Northern California Hong Kong Club
16. NYC852HKER
17. SEArious For HKG
18. Texans Supporting Hong Kong – TX4HK
19. US Hongkongers Club
20. We The Hongkongers
Non-U.S. Hong Kong Organizations
21. Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong (ACRHK)
22. Australia Hong Kong Link
23. Bonham Tree Aid CIC
24. Canada-Hong Kong Link
25. Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong
26. Hong Kong Committee in Norway
27. Hong Kong Human Rights Front
28. Hong Kong Outlanders in Taiwan
29. Hong Kong Watch
30. Hongkonger in Deutschland e.V.
31. Hongkongers in Britain (HKB)
32. Hong Kong Society in Scotland
33. Re-Water
34. Scottish Hongkongers
35. The Hong Kong Scots
36. Torontonian HongKongers Action Group
37. Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM)
Allied Diaspora and International Human Rights Organizations
38. Alliance for Citizens Rights
39. ARTICLE 19
40. Bay Area Friends of Tibet
41. China Rights In Action
42. ChinaAid
43. Doublethink Lab
44. Fortify Rights
45. Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities
46. Human Rights Foundation (HRF)
47. Index on Censorship
48. International Tibet Network
49. PEN America
50. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
51. Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
52. Save Tibet, Austria
53. Students for a Free Tibet
54. The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA
55. Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation