By James Pomfret and Jesse Pang
HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s most prominent media tycoon, was sentenced on Monday to a total of 20 years in prison on national security charges of conspiring with foreign forces and publishing a seditious material.
The sentence ends a nearly five-year legal saga and Hong Kong’s most high-profile national security trial. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and convicted last year.
Lai’s 20-year sentence was within the most severe penalty “band” of 10 years to life imprisonment for crimes of a “serious nature”.
A Hong Kong court said Lai’s sentence was enhanced by the fact that he was the “mastermind” and driving force of the foreign collusion conspiracy.
The 78-year-old British national has denied all the charges against him, saying he is a “political prisoner” being persecuted by Beijing.
Lai’s plight has been criticized by world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starr, highlighting a years-long national security crackdown on the China-dominated Asian financial hub following pro-democracy protests in 2019.
“The rule of law has completely crumbled in Hong Kong. Today’s landmark decision is the final nail in the coffin of press freedom in Hong Kong,” said Jody Ginsburg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalism.
“The international community must step up its pressure to free Jimmy Lai if we are to respect press freedom anywhere in the world.”
Lai arrived at the court in a white jacket, hands folded in prayer as he smiled and waved to supporters.
The case has prompted calls for the release of a longtime critic of the Chinese Communist Party, who friends and supporters say is in poor health.
“The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is a death sentence,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and deeply unjust.”
Dozens of Laika supporters queued for days to secure a place in the courtroom, with dozens of police officers, sniffer dogs and police vehicles including an armored truck and a bomb disposal van stationed around the area.
“I think Mr. Lai is the conscience of Hong Kong,” said a 64-year-old man named Sum, who sat in the row.
“He speaks for the people of Hong Kong, and also for many wrong issues in mainland China and the development of democracy. So I think it is better to sleep here for a few days of my own freedom than to see him locked up inside.”
During a tete-a-tete with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People last month, Starmer raised the issue of Lai holding British citizenship at length, according to people briefed on the discussions. British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi were also present.
“I took up Jimmy Lai’s case and called for his release,” Starmer told the UK parliament after his trip.
Trump also raised Lai’s issue with Xi last October. Several Western diplomats told Reuters that negotiations to free Lai would likely depend on whether Lai would appeal after his conviction.
Life in prison?
Lai’s family, lawyers, supporters and former colleagues have warned that he could die in prison because of health conditions including heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
Apart from Lai, six former senior employees of Apple Daily, an activist and a paralegal will also be sentenced.
“Jimmy Lai’s trial has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows a complete disregard for Hong Kong’s laws protecting press freedom,” said Beh Lee Yee, director of the Committee to Protect Journalists Asia-Pacific.
But Beijing said Lai received a fair trial and was treated equally under national security laws that have restored order in the city.
(Reporting by James Pomfret, Jesse Paang; Additional reporting by Andrew McCaskill in London; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Anne Marie Rountree and Michael Perry)
