Originally published at National Catholic Register
When asked how the family is doing, McGurn cited the strength of Lai’s wife, Teresa.
After Catholic media mogul and human rights activist Jimmy Lai took the stand on Wednesday in a yearslong Hong Kong national security trial, Bill McGurn, Wall Street Journal columnist and godfather of Lai, told “EWTN News Nightly” that Lai is “a real champion of freedom.”
Lai, 76, was first arrested in August 2020 under China’s newly instituted Hong Kong national security law. Since his arrest, he has faced multiple trials and has been convicted on multiple charges of unlawful assembly and fraud. The allegations are widely condemned as politically motivated.
McGurn, friend and godfather to Lai, told EWTN News Nightly anchor Tracy Sabol that Lai’s charisma on the stand worries the Hong Kong authorities. Lai has been in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2020.
“Today is the first time we’ve heard from Jimmy. The trial began in January,” McGurn told Sabol. “This is the first time we’ve heard his voice.”
On Wednesday Lai denied allegations of seditious activism as well as allegations that he had colluded with the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
“Today was a big day because the pressure on Jimmy
