Hong Kong court jails pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai for 20 years, a landmark sentence under the national security law that draws global condemnation
HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for national security crimes.
The 78-year-old British citizen, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was found guilty in December of collusion with foreign countries and publishing seditious articles.
The three High Court judges said they settled on the term after considering his “serious and grave criminal conduct”.
Lai, who has been in custody since 2020, sat impassively as the sentence was read out before waving to family as he was led away.
His daughter Claire called it “a heartbreakingly cruel sentence” that effectively meant “he will die a martyr behind bars”.
The United States criticised the decision as “unjust and tragic,” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it showed Beijing would go to “extraordinary lengths to silence” advocates of freedom.
Hong Kong leader John Lee lauded the “severe” prison term, saying it “brings great relief to all” and demonstrated the city upholding the rule of law.
Beijing also praised the outcome as “reasonable, legitimate and legal”.
Human Rights Watch said the penalty was “effectively a death sentence” given Lai’s age.
The Committee to Protect Journalists CEO said the decision was “the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong”.
Eight other defendants, including six Apple Daily executives, were handed sentences of up to 10 years in jail.
Two years of Lai’s 20-year penalty overlap with an existing sentence, meaning he will effectively serve another 18 years.
Lai has 28 days to lodge an appeal, but his lawyer declined to say if he would do so.
His son Sebastien called on US President Donald Trump to raise the case with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
“The president interceding in my father’s case will show Xi Jinping how much of a mistake it is, the persecution of my father,” he said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the verdict should be “promptly quashed” and described the security law as “vague and overly broad”.
A former Apple Daily reporter said the sentencing’s impact on self-censorship in the media industry was “quite clear for all to see”.
A retiree noted there are “fewer reports on the negative side of society” since Apple Daily was shut down in 2021.
“The space for freedom of speech has shrunk a lot,” they said.