US EditionHong Kong ex-media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced Monday after national security conviction
Jimmy Lai received the longest sentence under the national security law; eight co-defendants received prison terms between 6 and 10 years, amid international criticism of political motives.
- The judiciary of Hong Kong announced Friday that Jimmy Lai will be sentenced at 10 a.m. next Monday after his December conviction under the national security law.
- Authorities say the measure was introduced after 2019 protests and led to Lai's arrest last month for conspiring with foreign forces and senior executives of Apple Daily.
- Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his prior convictions relate to lesser offences, raising press freedom concerns in the former British colony.
- His co-defendants, including six former Apple Daily journalists and two activists, are expected back in court Monday, with pleas potentially reducing sentences, drawing criticism from the U.S. and Britain.
- With possible life terms, U.K. officials have called for Lai's release, noting he is a British citizen. The convictions under the security law carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
197 Articles
197 Articles
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai receives a 20-year jail sentence
For the 78-year-old publisher, 20 years of imprisonment is effectively a death sentence.Originally published on Global VoicesPhoto from Hong Kong Free Press. Used with permission. The Hong Kong High Court sentenced pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, the founder of now-defunct Apple Daily, to 20 years on February 9, 2026, following his conviction on foreign collusion and sedition charges last December. Lai's case marks the harshest punishment …
EXCLUSIVE: Daughter of Jimmy Lai: ‘He is only sustained by his faith’
Hours after Claire Lai’s 78-year-old father, Catholic convert and journalist Jimmy Lai, was sentenced by a Hong Kong court to 20 years in prison Feb. 9, she spoke with CatholicVote Vice President of Advocacy Joshua Mercer about her reaction to the verdict and the trust in God that is carrying the Lai family through.
Hong Kong Court Sentences Pro-Democracy Media Founder Jimmy Lai to 20 Years
A Hong Kong court on Monday imposed a 20-year prison sentence on pro-democracy media tycoon and religious freedom advocate Jimmy Lai, delivering the most severe punishment yet under Beijing’s national security law in one of the city’s most prominent prosecutions.
Megan Khoo: Starmer must answer for Jimmy Lai
Megan Khoo is Policy Director of Hong Kong Watch This week British citizen Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong. At 78 years old, held in prolonged solitary confinement and with deteriorating health, Lai will most likely die in prison. In the lead-up to his conviction and sentencing, time was of the essence. Yet Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid little more than lip service to the fate of Jimmy Lai during his visit to China …
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