BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA

Appearance (BETA) Follow system settings Select an optionAlways lightAlways darkFollow system settingsFind any issues using dark mode? Please let us know

Jimmy Lai was found guilty of sedition and collusion in a landmark national security case last year. (AP: Kin Cheung)

Former Hong Kong media mogul and one of the city's most outspoken critics of China, Jimmy Lai, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He was found guilty in 2025 of using his independent media outlet to produce seditious materials against Hong Kong and China and colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security.

Human rights groups have called the ruling a death sentence.

Link copiedShareShare articleFormer Hong Kong media mogul and one of the city's most outspoken critics of China, Jimmy Lai, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in a landmark national security case that has drawn international scrutiny.

Lai, 78, was found guilty in late 2025 of using his independent media outlet to produce seditious materials against Hong Kong and China and colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security.

Supporters of Lai, including the United States and the United Kingdom — where he is a citizen — say the case is politically motivated and designed to silence one of the region's most prominent pro-democracy activists.

A prison van believed to be carrying Jimmy Lai arrives at court ahead of his sentencing. (Reuters)

Lai has been one of the fiercest critics of China's increasingly tight controls under President Xi Jinping and has always maintained his innocence.

His case has become the most high-profile example of China's crackdown on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, under a sweeping national security law imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The millionaire media mogul was the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, which was well known for its critical stance against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments.

When he was arrested in 2020, Lai was accused of using the Apple Daily platform to conspire with six former executives and others to produce seditious publications between April 2019 and June 2021, and to collude with foreign forces between July 2020 and June 2021.

Retired bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and Teresa Lai, wife of Jimmy Lai, arrive at court. (Reuters)

He was convicted in December 2025 of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and one count of publishing seditious materials.

Dozens of Lai's supporters queued for several days to secure a spot in the courtroom. Scores of police officers, sniffer dogs and police vehicles, including an armoured truck and a bomb disposal van, were deployed around the area.

At 78 years old, Lai, who has already endured over five years’ imprisonment in solitary confinement, now faces spending his final years in prison.

The Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, said the 20-year sentence was effectively a death sentence.

"Lai's years of persecution show the Chinese government's determination to crush independent journalism and silence anyone who dares to criticise the Communist Party."

Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and Australian citizen and lawyer, Kevin Yam, also hit out at the ruling, saying Hong Kong had shown itself to be even harsher than mainland China.

"Leading Chinese dissidents such as Liu Xiaobo and Xu Zhiyong got 11 and 14 years, and yet Jimmy Lai got 20," he said.

"It’s effectively a life sentence by any other name."

Police officers clear the way for retired bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and Teresa Lai, wife of Jimmy Lai, as they leave the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building. (Reuters)

Meanwhile Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, called for his father's release, saying describing his sentence as a "dark day for justice", while his daughter Claire Lai expressed heartbreak at the sentence, saying if it's carried out, "He will die a martyr behind bars."

"Over the last five years, I have watched my father's health deteriorate dramatically and the conditions he’s kept in go from bad to worse," she said.

Taiwan's government echoed the criticisms of human rights groups, condemning the sentence as "harsh".

"Jimmy Lai's harsh sentence under Hong Kong's national security law not only deprives him of his personal liberty and tramples on freedom of speech and press freedom, but also denies the people's basic right to hold those in power accountable," Taiwan's China policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has also voiced support for Lai, saying he felt "so badly" after the verdict and noted he spoke to Chinese leader Xi Jinping about Lai and "asked to consider his release".

Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesChristchurch terrorist in fiery exchanges in NZ Court of AppealTopic:Terrorism

Topic:Community and Society

Topic:Federal Government

Topic:Community and Society

Topic:Federal Government

Rain brings relief and road closures after record heatwave in SATopic:Rain

Topic:Road Accidents and Incidents

Topic:Federal Government

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.