"This case really is about more than just one arrest. It really comes down to protecting the rights of all journalists across the country to do their job, and especially to be able to do it without any fear of police interference." -- Carol Linnitt, Narwhal co-founder and editor-in-chief

Human rights orgs and international media have been able to verify that 2,500 protestors have been killed, and more than 25,000 arrested.

While a full-blown digital blackout has made further verification impossible, current reports estimate killings to be much higher, likely more than 6,000.

Since his arrest, he has endured more than 1,800 days of solitary confinement and served multiple sentences for peaceful dissent, including one for attending a vigil in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Send him a message of hope via English PEN's #PENWrites campaign: buff.ly/FEexJhz

In her speech last month, Mohyeddin reflected on the work of journalism, calling it "an act of restoration — restoring dignity, restoring context, restoring the complexity that so often gets stripped away."

buff.ly/doUNORz

The Ken Filkow Prize recognizes those who have advanced freedom of expression in Canada, and shown courage in freeing information and ideas from restraint or interference.

Previous recipients have included Brandi Morin, Tim Bousquet, Justin Brake, and Desmond Cole.

Lai has endured more than 1,800 days of solitary confinement since his arrest, and has served multiple sentences for peaceful dissent including a 13-month sentence for attending a 2020 vigil in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

“We urge the Canadian government to seek justice in this case," Wells continues, “and to do whatever it can to secure Mr. Lai’s immediate and unconditional release.”

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