Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been ordered to serve 20 years in prison, the harshest sentence given yet under a security law imposed by China.
The 78-year-old British national was convicted in December of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
Lai, who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper which criticised the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing, was arrested in August 2020 and has been detained since December 2020.
Prosecutors cited more than 160 Apple Daily articles as examples of “seditious publications”. Apple Daily was forced to close by Hong Kong authorities in June 2021.
Six Apple Daily editors and executives, who were arrested in 2021 and later pleaded guilty, were also sentenced to between six and ten years in prison.
Lai’s lawyer Robert Pang raised concerns about his health in January, saying he had suffered issues including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and diabetes.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Hong Kong’s authorities to end Lai’s “appalling ordeal”.
Cooper described the prosecution as politically motivated and said Lai had been “exercising his right to freedom of expression”.
“Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics,” she said.
“For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence.
“I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family.”
Sir Keir Starmer raised Lai’s case with Chinese leader Xi Jingping in his visit last month, saying they had a “respectful discussion” on the issue.
Cooper said the visit had “opened up discussion of our most acute concerns directly with the Chinese government, at the highest levels” and that the Government would “rapidly engage further” on the case.
“We stand with the people of Hong Kong, and will always honour the historical commitments made under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration,” she said. “China must do the same”.
Reporters Without Borders director general said: “We are outraged by the harsh sentences handed down to Jimmy Lai and the senior staff of Apple Daily. This court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism. From Lai’s arrest to his trial and conviction, this legal process has been nothing more than a sham.
“Democracies, such as the UK and the US, must stop prioritising the normalisation of relations with China and instead exert pressure on the Chinese regime and Hong Kong authorities to ensure that Jimmy Lai and all other journalists are released from prison.”
Committee to Protect Journalists chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said: “The rule of law has been completely shattered in Hong Kong.
“Today’s egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong. The international community must step up its pressure to free Jimmy Lai if we want press freedom to be respected anywhere in the world.”
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