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The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
US lawmakers propose to have Washington street named after Jimmy Lai
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has launched a campaign to rename the street next to Hong Kong 's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media tycoon facing life in prison. Lai, 77, a British citizen, founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper. He is facing the prospect of life in prison if found guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong 's national security law. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The group seeks to erect the street sign ' Jimmy Lai Way' on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, or HKETO, in Washington's Dupont Circle neighbourhood. 'By renaming the street in honour of Jimmy Lai, we show respect for this champion of democracy and human rights and all those detained in Hong Kong for exercising rights guaranteed them by international law and treaty,' said Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey, the sponsor of the bill. 'We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia." The bill, co-sponsored by the Democratic Party, if passed, would also direct the US postal service to deliver mail to Hong Kong's offices in New York and San Francisco if addressed to '1 Jimmy Lai Way'. Maps, regulations and any other official records referring to the street or the trade office address would be required to reflect Lai's name. The legislation was originally introduced in April 2023 as the "Jimmy Lai Way Bill" by Representatives Smith and Tom Suozzi of New York, who wanted to honour the "renowned Hong Kong human rights defender who remains unjustly imprisoned by Hong Kong authorities". The bill strongly condemns Lai's imprisonment and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Holmes Norton, the Democratic non-voting delegate, criticised the legislation. 'No matter how well-intentioned an initiative is, it is never appropriate for members of Congress not elected by DC residents to legislate on local DC matters, particularly quintessentially local ones like street names," he said. US secretary of state Marco Rubio recently said Lai's case was a 'priority' for him. The jailed China critic's son, Sebastien Lai, told Sky News that his father's case was a "litmus test" for the British government as he pushed prime minister Keir Starmer to press for his release.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
US lawmakers moved Tuesday to rename the street next to Hong Kong's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media owner jailed as China clamps down in the financial hub. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would erect the street sign "Jimmy Lai Wai" on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington's bustling Dupont Circle area. "We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia," said Representative Chris Smith, the Republican co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which examines rights in the country. There was no immediate timetable to act upon the proposal, but it was co-sponsored by Democrats. While Congress has less jurisdiction outside of Washington, the bill would also direct the US Postal Service to deliver mail to Hong Kong's offices in New York and San Francisco if they are addressed to "1 Jimmy Lai Way" in either city. Lai was the founder of the Apple Daily, a now-shuttered Chinese-language newspaper that championed mass demonstrations in 2019 aimed at safeguarding democratic liberties promised when Beijing took control of the former British colony. China quelled dissent after the protests, some of which involved vandalism, including through a tough security law. Lai, now 77, has been behind bars since December 2020. He testified for more than 50 days, concluding last month, as he fights charges of foreign collusion under the law that could carry a sentence of life in prison. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a recent interview said that Lai's case was a "priority" for him. Renaming streets has long been a means to embarrass countries on their rights records. Russia's embassy in Washington lies on Boris Nemtsov Plaza, named for the reformist politician killed near the Kremlin in 2015, and the Saudi embassy is on Jamal Khashoggi Way, named for the dissident writer who was strangled to death and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. But an effort to name the plaza outside of China's embassy for Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Prize-winning writer and democracy activist who died in prison, floundered after intense opposition from Beijing. Other governments have sometimes acted similarly with the United States. The US consulate in Kolkata is named for Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. sct/sst
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Jimmy Lai Way': US call to honour jailed tycoon in DC address of Hong Kong trade office
A bipartisan group of US House members has launched a fresh campaign to rename the address of Hong Kong's trade office in Washington in honour of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying , a day after the US State Department sanctioned six officials in the city for 'undermining Hong Kong's autonomy'. Advertisement Under a new bill introduced on Tuesday, the official address of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Washington's Dupont Circle neighbourhood would be changed from 1520 18th Street Northwest to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest. 'By renaming the street in honour of Jimmy Lai, we show respect for this champion of democracy and human rights and all those detained in Hong Kong for exercising rights guaranteed them by international law and treaty,' said Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey, the bill's sponsor. 'We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia,' added Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. 01:49 Hegseth reaffirms US-Japan alliance against 'aggressive Communist Chinese' Hegseth reaffirms US-Japan alliance against 'aggressive Communist Chinese' The bill is co-sponsored by New York Democrat Tom Suozzi and the leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Republican John Moolenaar of Michigan and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.
