NOTE TO STUDENTS: Before answering the questions, read the "Background" and watch the videos under “Resources.”

1. Who is Jimmy Lai?

2. a) What charges was Mr. Lai convicted of in December?
b) Under what Hong Kong law was Mr. Lai convicted?

3. a) How much prison time did Mr. Lai receive compared to his (younger) co-defendants?
b) Why did he receive such a long prison sentence from the Chinese communist controlled Hong Kong judge?

4. Before China's takeover, Hong Kong was considered a defender of media independence and free speech.
The Chinese communist controlled government claims the case has nothing to do with a free press, saying the defendants used news reporting as a pretext for years to commit acts that harmed China and Hong Kong.
How do democratic governments (and human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) dispute China/Hong Kong's claim?

5. How does the government defend holding Mr. Lai in solitary confinement since 2020?

6. a) What citizenship does Jimmy Lai hold?
b) Do you think that government should/could/is able to do more to secure his release? If so, what? Explain your answer.

7. What did Hong Kong's leader John Lee say about Jimmy Lai and his sentence?

8. How did Hong Kong's press freedom change as the Chinese government took more control over the region?