The Hong Kong court sentenced media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison. He was found guilty of colluding with foreign forces for the purpose of "overthrowing the Communist Party of China," as well as publishing materials that incited rebellion against the Chinese authorities.
According to Reuters, six former employees of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, owned by Lai, also received prison sentences ranging from six to ten years. The judges, while announcing the verdict, noted that the collusion with foreign forces was "deliberate" and "well-planned."
At the hearings on January 13, the defense requested a reduction of the sentence. However, Judge Alex Lee pointed out that under the national security law, Jimmy Lai could face a sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment. The media tycoon himself does not admit his guilt.
At the age of 78, Lai was arrested in August 2020 on charges of violating the national security law, which was enacted after mass protests against the government in Hong Kong in 2019. In recent years, he has already been convicted of several less serious offenses.
The trial, which began in December 2023 and was conducted by three judges without a jury, attracted attention not only in Hong Kong but also in the United States, European Union countries, and the United Kingdom. In October 2025, during a meeting in South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump appealed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release Jimmy Lai, but no response was received.
