A Hong Kong court has sentenced pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under Beijing’s sweeping national security law, bringing an end to the city’s most high-profile security trial and sealing a legal saga that has stretched nearly five years.
The ruling on Monday capped Hong Kong’s longest and most closely watched national security hearing. Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, was first arrested in August 2020 and found guilty late last year on two counts of foreign collusion and one count of seditious publication.
The 20-year sentence sits within the most severe penalty band under the law, which ranges from 10 years to life imprisonment for offences deemed to be of a “grave nature”. The court said the punishment was aggravated by Lai’s role as the “mastermind” and driving force behind what it described as foreign collusion conspiracies.
Lai, who is 78 and also holds British citizenship, has consistently denied the charges. He told the court he is a “political prisoner” facing persecution from Beijing.
Given his age and health, the sentence could amount to life behind bars. His family, lawyer and supporters have warned that Lai suffers from medical conditions including heart palpitations and high blood pressure, raising fears he could die in prison. As the verdict was read out, Lai appeared solemn, while some observers in the public gallery were seen crying.
Six former senior Apple Daily staff members, along with an activist and a paralegal, were also sentenced on Monday. The jail terms handed down to Lai’s co-defendants ranged from six years and three months to 10 years. Those convicted included publisher Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, English-language editor Fung Wai-kong and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee.
Press freedom groups reacted with fury. Global leaders have also weighed in. United States President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer both criticised the sentence, with Starmer saying he raised Lai’s case during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.
“The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust.”
Beijing has repeatedly dismissed such criticism as attempts to smear Hong Kong’s judicial system. Hong Kong authorities insist that Lai’s prosecution “has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press”.
Lai was among the first prominent figures detained after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. Within a year, several senior Apple Daily journalists were also arrested. Repeated police raids, criminal charges and a freeze on the paper’s assets forced its closure in June 2021. Its final edition sold a million copies.
Lai’s daughter, Claire, told The Associated Press that she hopes authorities will eventually release her father. A Roman Catholic, she said, he and his family are sustained by faith. “We will never stop fighting until he is free,” she said.
Even ahead of the sentencing, signs of tightening control were visible. Hong Kong Free Press reported that police detained a woman outside the West Kowloon court after discovering an Apple Daily keychain in her possession. At least two other activists were searched, including Tsang Kin-shing of the now-disbanded League of Social Democrats.
The case unfolds amid broader pressure on the city’s media. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said in 2024 that dozens of reporters faced “systematic and organised” harassment, including death threats and the leaking of personal data. Reporters Without Borders estimates that at least 900 journalists have lost their jobs in the four years since the national security law took effect.
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