HKCTU General Secretary, Brother Lee Cheuk Yan’s letter from prison:
Brothers and Sisters outside the wall,
Life in prison is monotonous, but healthy enough. Apart from missing my family and everyone, everything is fine. Today is Wednesday, the sixth day in prison, and I am getting used to the daily schedule and the set of terms in prison. I have never tried to live under a schedule in my life. It’s really “it’s hard to be unhealthy.”
As I have emphasized before going into jail, mentality is everything. Now is a time for me to learn to adjust my mentality. Take things as they come. Prison can deprive me of my freedom, but it cannot deprive me of the attitude I choose, and enjoy the freedom and unrestrained soul.
Reading is the time of freedom. I am re-reading the important historical speeches, roaming between the powerful speeches of great people in history. I want to share a passage of Hamilton, a Pennsylvania lawyer (1735) in a court debate. The theme was “The cause of liberty”. One passage was not directly related to his theme, but was an introduction. That paragraph was about the totalitarian era of Roman Caesar. Brutus gave a speech to the Romans: “The people of Rome, please see what you are doing. You are helping Caesar to forge the shackles. One day you will use it on yourselves.”
I naturally connect the history of the Communist Party of China, or even the history of China with this speech, how much “loyal garbage” helps the dictator to forge the shackles and use it on the people, and deprive the people of their freedom. But one day, they will stew in their own juice. We are not going to do the same thing to treat them, but history will condemn them!
I have not taken any notes for many years, and now I am looking at the books and writing down the words and sentences I like. Maybe I could write better articles after I am released from prison.
I believe that when I regain my freedom one day or even many years later, I can say “It was worth it”. What I hope more is the day when Hong Kong regains its freedom. At that time, we can say together, “Everything was worth it!”
Every time I think of Carol, I feel sad. What is the reason for using such tough measures against on a woman who is so honorable, brave, and independent? Of course, not only Carol, but the other candidates in the primaries who are behind the wall is also an injustice! I hope everyone will greet Carol for me and pass on her news. I will also try to write to her from prison.
Yan
22/4/2021