Hong Kong’s most vocal China critic, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in jail, ending the city’s biggest national security case that has fuelled global concerns about Beijing’s clampdown on freedoms in the ex-British colony.
Lai’s sentence on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one for publishing seditious materials ends a legal saga that has lasted nearly five years.
The 78-year-old British citizen had denied all the charges against him, telling the court he was a ‘political prisoner’ facing persecution from Beijing.
Lai, founder of the feisty and now shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and was convicted last year.
His sentence was within the harshest penalty tier for offences of a ‘grave nature’, reflecting the fact that he was the driving force behind ‘persistent’ foreign collusion conspiracies, the three judges said in announcing their verdict.
They cited prosecution evidence that the conspiracies had sought sanctions, blockades and other hostile acts from the US and other countries while involving a web of individuals including Apple Daily staff, activists and foreigners.
Six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal were also sentenced to jail terms ranging from six to 10 years.
The US, Britain, Australia, the European Union, Japan and Taiwan expressed concerns about the impact of the sentencing.
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