Jimmy Lai is one of the most prominent figures to be sentenced under a China-imposed National Security Law that has silenced dissent in Hong Kong.

A court in Hong Kong on Monday sentenced 78-year-old democracy advocate and media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison.

The sentencing — described as “effectively a death sentence” by rights advocates — follows Lai’s conviction on charges of foreign collusion and seditious publication in December 2025.

What happened in the courtroom?

“After considering the serious and grave criminal conduct of Lai … the Court was satisfied that the total sentence for Lai in the present case should be 20 years’ imprisonment,” a summary document from the judges said.

Two of those years will overlap with Lai’s existing prison term, meaning that he will serve an additional 18 years, the judges wrote. He has been in prison since 2020.

Lai smiled and waved at his supporters when he arrived for the sentencing, AP news agency reported.

But before he left the courtroom, he looked serious, AP said, as some people in the public gallery cried.

When asked about whether they would appeal, his lawyer Robert Pang said, “no comment.”

Hong Kong tycoon and democratic firebrand

Lai, a fierce critic of the Chinese government, was sentenced under a National Security Law that China imposed in 2020 in the wake of street protests in Hong Kong.

The security law targeted pro-democracy opposition and activities that Beijing classifies as subversive, separatist, terrorist, or colluding with foreign forces.

The founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was one of the first prominent figures to be arrested under the law.

Once ranked by Forbes among Hong Kong’s 40 richest people with a HK$1.2 billion ($154 million, €130 million) fortune in 2008, Lai saw his assets and his stake in Next Digital frozen in 2021, cutting off funding and forcing the company to shut down.

During his trial, he called himself a “political prisoner,” and acknowledged his pro-democracy fight was unlikely to end well for him but called the sacrifice an “honor.”

His family, including six children from two marriages, has stood by him throughout.

“Our father was strong going in, mentally he still is, but physically he is significantly weaker now,” the daughter, Claire, told the Reuters news agency

Her father suffered from back and waist pains, diabetes, heart palpitations and blood pressure that was “significantly higher” than a year ago, she said.

What has been the international reaction?

The European Union criticized the sentence and called for ‌Lai’s ⁠immediate release.

“The politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy ‍Lai and the former Apple Daily executives and journalists harms Hong Kong’s reputation,” the EU’s foreign policy department said in a statement.

“The EU calls ‍on the Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in press freedom in Hong Kong, one of ⁠the pillars of its historic success as ‌an ‌international financial centre, and to stop prosecuting journalists.”

Lai holds British citizenship, but Hong Kong and Beijing do not recognize dual nationality, and Chinese authorities treat him as a Chinese national under their system. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that, given Lai’s age and poor physical condition, the term was “tantamount to a life sentence.”

“I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family,” said Cooper.

Germany has also voiced “great concern” over the 20‑year prison sentence. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China soon but the German govermnet spokesperson did not say whether he will raise the case. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, citing concerns for Lai’s health called on “Hong Kong authorities to respect rights and freedoms.”

Global leaders, including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as rights groups, had already condemned Lai’s conviction.

Starmer raised the case of Lai in detail during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in January.

The ruling “shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. The US secretary of state called the sentence an “unjust and ‌tragic ⁠conclusion,” calling for a “humanitarian parole” for Lai.

Canadia Foreign Minister Anita Anand also said Ottawa was “disappointed” by the ruling, calling for Lai’s “immediate humanitarian release.”

Press freedom in Hong Kong at historic low

Many see Lai’s conviction as a symbol of the city’s shrinking press freedoms.

“The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence. A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Amnesty International called the case “another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists CEO Jodie Ginsberg said “rule ⁠of law has been completely shattered in Hong Kong.”

“Today’s egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong,” she said, calling on the international community to step up its pressure to free Jimmy Lai.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the media mogul’s sentencing “will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory.”

Hong Kong fell in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index to 140th place. At the time the media freedom organization said it had never seen such “a sharp and rapid deterioration in the press freedom record of any country or territory.”

Edited by: Karl Sexton

DW News