Pro-Democracy ‘Hero’ Media Tycoon Jailed for 20 Years in Hong Kong

A Hong Kong court jailed media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai for 20 years on Monday after he was found guilty of national security offences last December.

Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen who has been an outspoken critic of Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party, was convicted on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Six former executives of Lai’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily were also jailed on Monday, receiving sentences from six years and nine months to ten years. 

Lai’s son called the jail term “basically a death sentence” while his daughter said “he will die a martyr behind bars”.

The UK is calling for the Chinese government to release Lai, with foreign secretary Yvette Cooper posting on X that Hong Kong authorities must “end his appalling ordeal”. 

Amnesty International said Lai’s case is “a cold-blooded attack on freedom of expression”. His sentencing was also condemned by Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders. 

Lai was convicted under a controversial national security law introduced by China in 2020 in response to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong – a special administrative region of China. 

The legislation criminalises a wide range of dissenting acts and allows Hong Kong to send cases to be tried in mainland China. It was expanded in 2024 to cover treason, sedition and state secrets. Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing say the law is necessary for stability.