Hong Kong Has Sentenced Jimmy Lai, The Founder Of A Pro-Democracy Newspaper, To 20 Years In Prison
Rights groups have long called Lai’s trial a sham trial and said the court ruling is “the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong.”
Hong Kong has sentenced media tycoon and the founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under its National Security Law.
78-year-old Lai became a vocal critic of the Chinese government after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, China, when Chinese government troops armed with assault rifles and tanks killed several thousand student-led pro-democracy demonstrators.
He then founded in 1995 the Apple Daily newspaper, which was known for its highly critical stance wards the Hong Kong government and Chinese authorities, as well as its unrelenting coverage of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
Shortly after China introduced the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, nearly 200 police raided Apple Daily’s headquarters and arrested Lai, along with two of his sons and several newspaper editors and directors.
On Dec. 11, 2020, Lai was charged with two counts of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or external elements” and “sedition” under the National Security Law.
Hong Kong authorities said the charges were related to the publication of articles in Apple Daily that called on foreign countries to impose sanctions, along with his meetings with US politicians and interviews with overseas media.
Lai has also been convicted of several lesser offenses related to fraud allegations and his involvement in the 2019 protests.
In February 2021, Lai was denied bail, and Apple Daily closed in June 2021 after police raided the newspaper again and re-arrested its top editors and directors.
Lai, who suffers from diabetes and hypertension, has been since been jailed for more than five years in solitary confinement.
His trial began in December 2023, with proceedings lasting 156 days, including 52 days of Lai's testimony.
Judges called him a “mastermind” of conspiracies designed to destabilize the Chinese government, citing more than 161 articles published in Apple Daily that were deemed “seditious.”
Lai was accused of conspiring with his longtime personal assistant Mark Simon, paralegal Chan Tsz-wah, activist Andy Li, exiled activist Finn Lau and others to commit “collusion with foreign forces”.
He was also accused of being the “mastermind and financial supporter” of an advocacy group, “Stand With Hong Kong, Fight For Freedom” (SWHK), which was claimed to have lobbied countries to sanction China and Hong Kong following the national security law coming into force, according to Reuters.
Lai had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On Dec. 15, 2025, Hong Kong’s high court found him guilty on two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and “sedition” under the National Security Law.
And on Monday, Feb. 9, the court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, the longest punishment given so far in Hong Kong under the National Security law.
In addition to Lai, Chan, Li and six former senior Apple Daily journalists— publisher Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, executive editor-in-chief responsible for English news Fung Wai-kong and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee — were also sentenced on Monday to prison terms ranging between six years and three months to 10 years after they pleaded guilty, according to AP.
Lai’s daughter Claire Lai said her father’s sentence was “heartbreakingly cruel,” adding it could mean Lai “will die a martyr behind bars,” while her brother Sebastien Lai called the sentence “draconian” and “devastating”.
Rights groups have long called Lai’s trial a sham trial and said the court ruling is “the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong.”
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the court decision “underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism.”
Human Rights Watch said the length of jail time given to Lai was “effectively a death sentence,” the Guardian reported.
Cherry Mohamed
