Jimmy Lai, the democracy advocate and former Hong Kong media mogul, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. It is the harshest punishment handed down thus far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced dissent in Hong Kong.
The sentence has been widely condemned by human rights groups. Indeed, Human Rights Watch called the length of the sentence "effectively a death sentence." And Amnesty International said it was "another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear."
Seventy-eight-year-old Lai was convicted in December 2025 of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. The maximum penalty for his conviction was life imprisonment.
Lai’s co-defendants, six former employees of the Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms ranging from six years and three months to 10 years.
Lai founded Apple Daily newspaper in 1995 and it became known for its journalistic independence and critical reporting of the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing. It was forced to shut down in 2021 as part of a crackdown on dissent. Lai was arrested in August 2020 after the imposition of Beijing’s national security law.
The national security law has had a chilling effect on Hong Kong’s freedoms. Under the law dozens of pro-democracy opposition leaders and advocates have been charged with subversion and other security-related crimes. In addition, People’s Republic of China-imposed changes to the electoral system have drastically limited the ability of Hong Kongers to participate in free elections; and independent media outlets have been forcibly closed by the authorities in an attempt to silence dissenting views.
Not surprisingly, Hong Kong’s press freedom ranking plunged drastically from 80th out of 180 countries in 2021 to 140th in 2025, according to Reporters Without Borders. Hong Kong was ranked 18th in 2002.
“The Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. “It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, casting aside the international commitments Beijing made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
“After enduring a trial lasting two years, and detention in prison for more than five, Mr. Lai and his family have suffered enough” said Secretary Rubio. “The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”
Rubio Calls Lai's Sentencing Unjust and Tragic
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at the Court of Final Appeal. (File)
Jimmy Lai, the democracy advocate and former Hong Kong media mogul, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. It is the harshest punishment handed down thus far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced dissent in Hong Kong.