Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years Under National Security Law
Former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.
The 78-year-old billionaire was among the highest-profile government critics charged since Beijing imposed its national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. His sentenc, the longest delivered under the law, means he will not be eligible for parole until his late 90s.
The ruling has sparked international calls for Lai’s release following a landmark trial closely watched by Western leaders, including former US President Donald Trump, who had previously vowed to “get him out.” Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming months, where Lai’s supporters hope his case will be raised.
Lai’s son, Sebastien, called the sentence “draconian” and life-threatening, while his daughter Claire described it as “heartbreakingly cruel.” She added, “I have watched my father’s health deteriorate dramatically… If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars.”
Lai’s outspoken criticism of Hong Kong’s shrinking freedoms and his founding of the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily had long made him a thorn in Beijing’s side. Authorities maintain that Lai received proper medical care and insist the prosecution was not politically motivated. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee accused Lai of using Apple Daily to “poison minds, incite hatred, distort facts, and glorify violence.”
Lai was convicted of two national security charges and a sedition charge in December. Six former Apple Daily colleagues were also jailed, receiving sentences from six years and nine months to ten years, while the company and its affiliates were fined HK$6 million ($767,000).
Beijing’s national security law has transformed Hong Kong, jailing dozens of dissidents, forcing media outlets and civil society groups to close, and reshaping the city’s once-vibrant political scene.
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