U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has issued a statement following the Hong Kong High Court's guilty verdict against Jimmy Lai. Lai is a prominent pro-democracy activist and media figure in Hong Kong.
Senator Cruz visited Hong Kong in 2019, where he met with Jimmy Lai and other dissidents before Lai's arrest. Earlier this month, Cruz also met with Lai’s family to discuss his detention and the actions taken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Cruz stated, “Jimmy Lai has been a powerful voice for the most basic freedoms and human rights, and an unrelenting dissident against the Chinese Communist Party’s violations of those principles. There is no doubt that the CCP fears his voice and advocacy precisely because the tyranny they have established cannot withstand scrutiny and criticism. The announcement is outrageous, and the United States has a broad range of tools to respond, including targeted and broad human rights sanctions, and we should use them. Additionally, the announcement demonstrates that the CCP has seized functionally complete control over Hong Kong, and the United States will need to reevaluate the full range of our national security policies in response to that reality.”
Senator Cruz has maintained a high profile in Texas politics over recent years. In 2024, he won re-election by defeating Colin Allred with 53.1% of the vote to Allred's 44.6%. He previously secured victories against Beto O'Rourke in 2018 with 50.9% of votes, and Paul Sadler in 2012 with 56.5%.
