The Chinese Communist Party Wages War on Religion—Again

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping secured a third term last October. He continues to transform what once was loose authoritarian rule into a near-totalitarian system. In almost every area, the CCP has increased its power over the Chinese people, demanding absolute obedience. Continue Reading...

Jimmy Lai Among Hong Kongers Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has lost a great deal. From his news outlet, Next Digital, to his rights as a citizen of Hong Kong, 75-year-old Lai now sits in a prison cell for his pro-democracy activities and may spend the rest of his life in prison under the Chinese Communist Party’s National Security crackdown on dissent of any kind. Continue Reading...

What Chinese and American Schools Can Learn from Each Other

In a recent essay for the New York Times, American fashion designer Heather Kaye writes about raising her daughters in Shanghai and sending them to the Chinese public schools. Far from finding the schools backward and totalitarian, she expresses profound gratitude for the experience: “As an American parent in China, I learned to appreciate the strong sense of shared values and of people connected as a nation.” Continue Reading...

Hong Kong Can Bar Overseas Lawyers in Lead Up to Jimmy Lai Trial

Less than a month after Hong Kong adjourned democracy advocate Jimmy Lai’s trial, Beijing has stacked the deck even further against the jailed entrepreneur and freedom fighter. After the Hong Kong High Court postponed Lai’s trial in December, the responsibility fell to Beijing’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to determine the role of the media mogul’s international legal counsel. Continue Reading...

Jimmy Lai Trial Adjourned Until September 2023

Entrepreneur and freedom fighter Jimmy Lai’s fight for justice will now drag on for nine more months as the Hong Kong High Court adjourns his trial. The delay comes as Hong Kong waits for Beijing to rule on allowing King’s Counsel Tim Owen, a British lawyer and internationalist specialist, to join Lai’s defense team in his fight against the country’s draconian National Security Law. Continue Reading...

Hong Kong Blocks Visa for British Lawyer in Lai Trial

Hong Kong freedom fighter Jimmy Lai was scheduled to go on trial this week for alleged crimes against China’s National Security Law. However, Hong Kong’s immigration department has succeeded in pushing the trial back by denying Lai access to a key international lawyer on his legal team: Timothy Owen, whose visa was recently withheld by a Hong Kong court. Continue Reading...

Jimmy Lai Pushes to Halt National Security Trial

Mere days after bringing a veteran British litigator on his legal team, jailed Hong Kong entrepreneur Jimmy Lai is moving to halt the trial proceedings entirely. In a pretrial interview, the 74-year-old Lai came before three National Security judges to review the charges brought against him. Continue Reading...