HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison after convicting him under the city’s national security law, drawing swift condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union and Western governments concerned over the future of press freedom in the territory.
Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion under the sweeping security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020, as well as one count of seditious publication. Judges said two of the 20 years will run concurrently with an existing sentence, meaning he will serve an additional 18 years.
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“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,” the panel wrote in a summary. Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020, sat impassively in the dock as the sentence was read and waved to supporters, including his wife, Teresa, and retired Catholic bishop Joseph Zen, before being led away.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said the verdict “needs to be promptly quashed as incompatible with international law.” The European Union said it “deplores” the sentence and called for Lai’s “immediate and unconditional release,” while urging Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in press freedom and stop prosecuting journalists.
Britain’s foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, condemned what she called “tantamount to a life sentence” for Lai and said London would “rapidly engage further” on the case. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council warned that authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have swept “media influence and international connections within the scope of national security measures, aiming to create a chilling effect across sectors and borders.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has also called for Lai’s release. Rights groups were scathing: the Committee to Protect Journalists said before sentencing that the trial “has been nothing but a charade,” and Reporters Without Borders warned the ruling would “resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself,” signaling the future of press freedom in Hong Kong.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing rejected the criticism. The Hong Kong government has said the case “has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press,” while China’s officials dismissed international reactions as attempts to smear the city’s judicial system.
Outside West Kowloon Court, around 70 people queued in the cold at daybreak as dozens of journalists assembled. Police deployed a heavy presence, including an armored vehicle and a bomb disposal unit. The tense scene underscored how deeply Lai’s case has polarized the city since the 2019 pro-democracy protests and the subsequent introduction of the national security law.
In their December verdict, judges wrote that Lai had “harboured his resentment and hatred of [China] for many of his adult years” and sought the “downfall of the Chinese Communist Party.” Eight additional defendants — including six former Apple Daily executives who pleaded guilty — are due to be sentenced alongside him. Apple Daily shut down in 2021 following police raids.
Lai’s legal team argued his age and health warranted leniency. Defense lawyer Robert Pang told the court a long term would be “harsher” for a 78-year-old, saying, “Every day [Lai] spends in prison will bring him that much closer to the end of his life.” Prosecutors cited a prison medical report describing his “general health condition” as stable and said he had received treatment for heart, dental and other issues. They said Lai had been kept in solitary confinement at his request to avoid harassment.
Outside court, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, who leads Lai’s legal team, called the ruling “absolutely outrageous,” telling Ireland’s RTÉ that the charges amounted to a “conspiracy to commit journalism.” She said the sentence was designed to chill dissent and urged more world leaders to condemn the ruling, while thanking Irish officials for raising the case with Beijing.
Hong Kong police have arrested 386 people under national security provisions since the law took effect, with 176 convictions as of the start of the month, authorities said. Critics say the law has transformed the city’s media landscape, with outlets shuttered, reporters arrested and self-censorship more pervasive. Supporters say it has restored order after the turmoil of 2019.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he raised Lai’s case directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, calling the discussion “respectful.” Whether international pressure can alter Lai’s fate remains uncertain. For now, Hong Kong’s most prominent media figure is set to spend much of the rest of his life in prison — a judgment that will reverberate far beyond the newsroom he built.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
