HONG KONG
Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old pro-democracy media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday in the most severe punishment handed down under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020.
Lai was convicted in December on charges of conspiring with foreign forces and publishing seditious articles—crimes that carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The sentence is seen as a definitive milestone in the law’s use to silence political opposition in the former British colony.
His eight co-defendants, including six former employees of his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms ranging from six years and three months to 10 years on related collusion charges.
Lai smiled and waved to supporters upon entering the courtroom but left solemnly as some in the public gallery wept. His lawyer, Robert Pang, declined to comment on whether an appeal would be filed.
By James Kisoo
