Jimmy Lai to be honorary recipient of 2025 Bradley Prize

Jimmy Lai and other demonstrators were convicted in 2021 of taking part in what the Hong Kong government argued was an “unauthorized assembly” at Victoria Park in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay neighborhood. / Credit: 美国之音莉雅, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 11, 2025 / 16:58 pm (CNA).

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation announced that Catholic human rights activist and political prisoner Jimmy Lai will be an honorary recipient of a 2025 Bradley Prize for being an “inspiration to all who value freedom.”

Lai is the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and a human rights activist who chose to stay in Hong Kong and risk imprisonment to fight for freedom against the Chinese Communist Party.

The foundation said Lai “is a courageous advocate for democracy and freedom of the press, whose powerful criticisms of Beijing’s control over Hong Kong have made him a target of Chinese authorities.”

“He is currently in prison, where he has spent more than four years in solitary confinement. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted under the draconian national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020,” the foundation’s announcement said.

Rick Graber, president of the Bradley Foundation, said in a statement: “Jimmy’s extraordinary courage and deeply held beliefs in journalistic integrity, human dignity, and democracy are an inspiration to all who value freedom.”

“His advocacy against oppressive, authoritarian rule put him at risk,” Graber continued. “Yet instead of fleeing Hong Kong under increasing pressure by the Chinese communist regime to silence his views, he stayed and continued to advocate for truth and transparency.”

“His sacrifice serves as a beacon of hope for those fighting against tyranny, and we are proud to award him with an honorary Bradley Prize.” 

The foundation stated that the prize is given “to individuals whose extraordinary work exemplifies the foundation’s mission to restore, strengthen, and protect the principles and institutions of American exceptionalism and honors the ideals of the Western tradition.”

Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien Lai will receive the award on his behalf at the Bradley Prizes ceremony on May 29 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

In a statement to the foundation, Sebastien Lai said: “Our family is deeply grateful for this honor of my father from the Bradley Foundation. He is to us most importantly a husband, father, and grandfather, but he has earned his place as a hero in the hearts of many around the world.”

“The Bradley Prize is a testament to his commitment to truth and freedom, made evident in his tremendous self-sacrifice,” Sebastien continued. “From a tiny prison cell in Hong Kong, he continues to stand strong against the world’s largest and most powerful totalitarian regime.” 

“Thank you for reminding the world that his cause is not lost — good people must now fight for his freedom as he fought for theirs,” Sebastien concluded.