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Human rights organizations have strongly criticized the imposition of a 20-year prison sentence on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, branding it as “essentially a death sentence” and a profound miscarriage of justice.
On Monday, a Hong Kong court delivered the sentence to Lai, following his prominent trial on national security charges. This trial has been denounced by rights advocacy groups and Western governments as emblematic of the rapid erosion of press freedom in the city.
At 78, Lai, who founded the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, was convicted in December on two charges of foreign collusion under a broad national security law enacted by Beijing, along with an additional charge of seditious publication.
The judges, in their summary document, stated, “In light of Lai’s serious and egregious criminal actions, the Court concluded that a total sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment is warranted.”
The judges further clarified that two of those years will run concurrently with Lai’s current sentence, resulting in an effective extension of his imprisonment by 18 years.
Lai’s case has been condemned by rights groups as a death knell for press freedoms in Hong Kong, while international leaders have urged Hong Kong and Beijing to release him.
“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”.
United Kingdom 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”.
United States President Donald Trump has also called for Lai’s release.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement before Monday’s sentencing that Lai’s trial “has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom”.
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”.
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”.
Pro-democracy protests and prison terms
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 there.
The judges said in their verdict in December 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 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.
Lai’s defence lawyer Robert Pang 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.
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.
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