A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison on Monday, February 9 for national security crimes, a punishment rights groups condemned as “effectively a death sentence” and a symbol of the city’s shrivelling press freedoms. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, as well as one count of seditious publication.
“After considering the serious and grave criminal conduct of Lai (…) the Court was satisfied that the total sentence for Lai in the present case should be 20 years’ imprisonment,” a summary document from the judges said.
His sentence is by far the harshest handed out under the national security law, surpassing the previous record of 10 years given to legal scholar Benny Tai in 2024. Two of those years will overlap with Lai’s existing prison term, meaning that he will serve an additional 18 years, the judges wrote.
‘A heartbreakingly cruel sentence’
Around 70 people braved the cold to queue outside the West Kowloon court at daybreak, while dozens of journalists gathered outside the building’s entrance.
Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020, sat impassively in the dock as his sentence was read out, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist in the court saw. As he was led away, he waved solemnly to people in the public gallery, including his wife Teresa, former Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen, and former Apple Daily reporters.
His defence lawyer Robert Pang declined to comment on whether Lai would lodge an appeal, which can be done in the next 28 days. Asked if the sentence was in line with expectations, Pang told AFP: “In these times I don’t know what to expect.”
Teresa Lai was grim-faced during the hearing and made no comment as she left the court, but their children, who live abroad, condemned the sentence in a statement. “Sentencing my father to this draconian prison sentence is devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father,” Lai’s son Sebastien said.
His daughter Claire called it “a heartbreakingly cruel sentence” given his declining health in prison, and if carried out, “he will die a martyr behind bars.”
‘Grim milestone’
Rights groups condemned the 20-year prison term, calling it a grave injustice. “The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence. A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
Amnesty International called the case “another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear.”
Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said “today’s egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong.”
Reporters Without Borders said the mogul’s sentencing “will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had raised the issue of Lai, a British citizen, during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, adding that the discussion was “respectful.” US President Donald Trump has also called for Lai’s release.
On Monday, Britain’s foreign minister pledged to rapidly again engage with Beijing after the sentencing. “Following today’s sentencing we will rapidly engage further on Mr Lai’s case,” said a statement from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. “We stand with the people of Hong Kong,” she added.
Taiwan said Lai’s sentencing created a “chilling effect” across borders and “tramples on freedom of speech.” Under the national security law, the self-ruled island’s Mainland Affairs Council added, Hong Kong’s judiciary “has been reduced to a tool for political suppression and the purging of dissent.”
Beijing has dismissed critics as smearing Hong Kong’s judicial system, while Hong Kong authorities say Lai’s case “has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press.”
Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee hailed Lai’s sentencing. “Jimmy Lai’s crimes are heinous and evil in the extreme. His heavy sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment demonstrates the rule of law, upholds justice and is deeply gratifying,” he said in a statement.
National security police welcomed the 20-year sentence, telling reporters it indicated the “very serious nature” of Lai’s case and was “well-deserved.”
‘Resentment and hatred’
Long a thorn in Beijing’s side, Lai was prosecuted under a Hong Kong national security law that was imposed by Beijing in 2020, a year after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub.
The judges said in their verdict in December that Lai had “harbored his resentment and hatred of [China] for many of his adult years” and sought the “downfall of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Pang, Lai’s defense lawyer, previously told the court a lengthy jail term would be “harsher” for someone of Lai’s age and physical condition. “Every day [Lai] spends in prison will bring him that much closer to the end of his life,” Pang said at the time.
Prosecutors cited in response a prison medical report that said Lai’s “general health condition remains stable,” and that he had no complaints after being treated for problems with his heart, teeth and nails.
Lai was kept in solitary confinement at his own request to avoid harassment, prosecutors said. Two of his children have raised concerns over his health in recent months, but authorities said Lai has received “adequate and comprehensive” care.
Eight other defendants, including six Apple Daily executives, are due to be sentenced alongside Lai on Monday, all of whom pleaded guilty. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 following police raids.
As of the start of the month, Hong Kong had arrested a total of 386 people for various national security crimes, with 176 of them being convicted.
