China sentences Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison

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Hong Kong — Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy erstwhile Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce professional of Beijing, was sentenced connected Monday to 20 years successful situation successful the longest punishment fixed truthful acold nether a China-imposed nationalist information law that has virtually silenced the city's dissent.

Lai, 78, was convicted successful December of conspiring with others to collude with overseas forces to endanger nationalist security, and conspiracy to people seditious articles. The maximum punishment for his condemnation was beingness imprisonment.

His co-defendants, six erstwhile employees of his Apple Daily paper and 2 activists, received situation presumption of betwixt 6 years and 3 months, and 10 years connected collusion-related charges.

Lai smiled and waved astatine his supporters erstwhile helium arrived for the sentence. But earlier helium near the courtroom, helium looked serious, arsenic immoderate radical successful the nationalist assemblage cried. When asked astir whether they would appeal, his lawyer Robert Pang said nary comment.

The ideology advocate's apprehension and proceedings person raised concerns astir the decline of property freedom successful what was erstwhile an Asian bastion of media independence. The authorities insists the lawsuit has thing to bash with a escaped press, saying the defendants utilized quality reporting arsenic a pretext for years to perpetrate acts that harmed China and Hong Kong.

Lai was one of the archetypal salient figures to beryllium arrested nether the information instrumentality successful 2020. Within a year, immoderate of Apple Daily's elder journalists besides were arrested and the paper shut down successful June 2021.

Family warns Lai "will dice a martyr down bars"

In a statement, Lai's son, Sebastien, said the "draconian" situation word was devastating for his household and life-threatening for his father. "It signifies the full demolition of the Hong Kong ineligible strategy and the extremity of justice," helium said.

His sister Claire called the condemnation "heartbreakingly cruel" successful the aforesaid statement. "If this condemnation is carried out, helium volition dice a martyr down bars," she said.

Lai has been successful custody for much than 5 years already.

In January, his lawyer Pang said Lai suffered wellness issues including bosom palpitations, precocious humor unit and diabetes.

The prosecution said a aesculapian study noted Lai's wide wellness information remained stable. The authorities claimed Lai had requested to beryllium held successful solitary confinement.

Lai's condemnation condemned astir the world

Lai's sentencing could heighten Beijing's diplomatic hostility with overseas governments, which person criticized Lai's condemnation and sentencing.

President Trump, who is expected to sojourn China successful April, said successful December that helium felt "so badly" aft the verdict was handed down, and helium noted that helium had spoken with Chinese person Xi Jinping astir Lai and asked him "to see his release."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's authorities besides has called for the merchandise of Lai, who is simply a British citizen. U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the prosecution "politically motivated," saying the situation word is tantamount to a beingness sentence.

Human Rights Watch's Asia Director Elaine Pearson said the harsh 20-year-sentence is efficaciously a decease sentence, calling it cruel and unjust.

Chinese leaders accidental Lai's condemnation "deeply gratifying"

Hong Kong person John Lee said Lai's condemnation demonstrated the regularisation of law, calling the crimes helium was convicted of "heinous and evil successful the extreme."

The paper mogul's "heavy condemnation of 20 years' imprisonment demonstrates the regularisation of law, upholds justness and is profoundly gratifying," Lee said successful a statement.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, laminitis of Apple Daily is detained by the nationalist information portion successful Hong Kong

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's overseas ministry successful Beijing, said Lai was "a cardinal planner and subordinate successful a bid of anti-China and disruptive activities successful Hong Kong," and lauded the sentencing arsenic "reasonable, legitimate, and legal," adding: "There is nary country for argument."

Lin urged "relevant countries" to respect the regularisation of instrumentality successful Hong Kong.

Lai prosecuted nether China's wide caller information law

Lai founded Apple Daily, a now-defunct paper known for its captious reports against the governments successful Hong Kong and Beijing. He was arrested successful August 2020 nether the information instrumentality that was utilized successful a yearslong crackdown connected galore of Hong Kong's starring activists.

In their ruling, 3 government-vetted judges wrote that the starting constituent of Lai's condemnation was accrued due to the fact that they recovered him to beryllium the mastermind of the conspiracies. But they besides reduced his punishment due to the fact that they accepted that Lai's age, wellness information and solitary confinement would origin his situation beingness to beryllium much burdensome than that of different inmates.

"Lai was nary uncertainty the mastermind of each 3 conspiracies charged and truthful helium warrants a heavier sentence," they said. "As regards the others, it is hard to separate their comparative culpability."

They took into relationship that Lai is serving a situation word of 5 years and 9 months successful a abstracted fraud lawsuit and ruled that 18 years of Lai's condemnation successful the information lawsuit should beryllium served consecutively to that situation term.

A chilling effect connected China's journalists and academics

Urania Chiu, lecturer successful instrumentality astatine Oxford Brookes University, said the lawsuit is important for its wide operation of seditious intent and exertion of the word "collusion with overseas forces" to definite activities by the media. The accusation is peculiarly alarming for journalists and those moving successful academia, she said.

"Offering and publishing morganatic critiques of the state, which often involves engagement with planetary platforms and audiences, whitethorn present easy beryllium construed arsenic 'collusion,'" Chiu said.

The erstwhile Apple Daily staffers and activists progressive successful Lai's lawsuit entered blameworthy pleas, which helped trim their sentences Monday. They earlier admitted to the prosecution complaint that said they conspired with Lai to petition overseas forces to enforce sanctions oregon blockades, oregon prosecute successful different hostile activities against Hong Kong oregon China.

The convicted journalists are steadfast Cheung Kim-hung, subordinate steadfast Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, enforcement editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, enforcement editor-in-chief liable for English quality Fung Wai-kong and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee. They received situation presumption ranging betwixt six years and 9 months, to 10 years.

The 2 activists, Andy Li and Chan Tsz-wah, were sentenced to six years and 3 months, and 7 years and 3 months respectively.

The penalties for Cheung, Chan and Yeung, alongside the 2 activists, were reduced successful portion due to the fact that they served arsenic prosecution witnesses and the judges said their grounds had "significantly" contributed to the condemnation of Lai.

Before sunrise, dozens of radical stood successful enactment extracurricular the tribunal gathering to unafraid a spot successful the courtroom. One of them was erstwhile Apple Daily worker Tammy Cheung.

"Whatever happens, it's an extremity — astatine slightest we'll cognize the outcome," Cheung said earlier the condemnation was delivered.

Lai founded Apple Daily successful 1995, 2 years earlier the erstwhile British colony returned to Chinese rule. Its closure successful 2021 shocked the section property scene. Hong Kong ranked 140th retired of 180 territories successful the press-freedom scale compiled by media state enactment Reporters Without Borders successful 2025, acold from its 18th spot successful 2002.

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