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Court hands down 20-year term for media tycoon
Hong Kong pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai received a 20-year prison sentence on Monday for allegedly colluding with foreign powers, a charge critics say is designed to silence opposition under the city's sweeping national security legislation.
Background to the case
The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was convicted in December under the 2020 national security law, which Beijing imposed following mass pro-democracy demonstrations the previous year. The law criminalizes acts Beijing deems subversive, secessionist, or a threat to national security.
Lai, who has been detained since December 2020, has consistently denied the charges, maintaining he advocated for freedoms he believed were fundamental to Hong Kong's identity.
Reactions to the verdict
During the sentencing hearing, Lai remained composed, smiling and nodding as the ruling was announced. His family, however, expressed grave concerns about his health in custody. In August, his son Sebastien told the BBC that even a five-year sentence would be "practically the same as a death penalty" for his father, a British citizen.
Human rights organizations echoed these fears, calling the 20-year term an "effective death sentence" given Lai's age. Sebastien also criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to secure his father's release during a January visit to China, stating that the "values [the UK stands for] are being locked up along with my father."
Lai's journey from entrepreneur to activist
Born in Guangzhou, China, in 1947, Lai fled to Hong Kong as a 12-year-old stowaway after his family lost their wealth following the Communist revolution. Starting with menial jobs, he taught himself English and built a textile empire before founding Giordano, an international clothing brand.
His path shifted after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Lai began writing columns condemning the massacre and launched a publishing house that became one of Hong Kong's most influential. When Beijing pressured him to close his mainland stores, he sold Giordano and founded pro-democracy outlets, including Apple Daily, which became a vocal critic of Chinese authorities.
"I'm a born rebel. I have a very rebellious character."
Jimmy Lai, in a 2020 BBC interview
Target of intimidation and violence
Lai's outspoken stance made him a target. Masked attackers firebombed his home and company headquarters, and he survived an assassination plot. Despite the threats, he remained a prominent figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, participating in protests and facing multiple arrests, including two in 2021 for illegal assembly.
In 2020, he warned the BBC that China's national security law marked the "death knell" for Hong Kong's freedoms. His advocacy extended internationally; in 2021, Apple Daily published a front-page appeal to then-U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to "help us" resist Beijing's influence.
International condemnation
Lai's prosecution has drawn global scrutiny, with rights groups and governments calling for his release. His son Sebastien has campaigned worldwide, arguing that his father is imprisoned for "truth on his lips, courage in his heart, and freedom in his soul."
Hong Kong authorities maintain Lai received a fair trial under the rule of law, but critics argue the case exemplifies how the legal system has been weaponized to suppress dissent.
