The court, composed of judges appointed directly by the authorities, stated in the justification for the judgment that Lai's actions were “premeditated” and belonged to the “most serious category” of crimes. It was emphasized that the accused was the “driving force” of the conspiracy aimed at persuading the US and other countries to impose sanctions on China and blockade Hong Kong. Lai allegedly used his newspaper “Apple Daily” as a tool for political lobbying and inciting hatred against the government, seeking – according to the court – the “collapse” of the Chinese Communist Party. The court rejected the defense's request to reduce the sentence due to Lai's health condition, considering the defendant's actions “particularly serious.”
What was Jimmy Lai's sentence?
What were the charges against Lai about?
What were the reactions of international organizations to this verdict?
Did Jimmy Lai plead guilty?
The 78-year-old pleaded not guilty, calling himself a “political prisoner”.
A judicial farce. International organizations outraged by the verdict
International organizations do not hide their outrage, speaking with one voice about the “judicial farce”. “This verdict is the final nail in the coffin of press freedom in Hong Kong,” said Jodie Ginsberg of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Human Rights Watch echoed this sentiment, calling the punishment “cruel and unjust” which, in effect, amounts to a “death sentence.” Thibaut Bruttin from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recalled the tragic story of Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who died in a Chinese prison. —We cannot allow Laia to suffer a similar fate. The curtain is falling on the complete collapse of independent journalism, Bruttin stressed in a statement.
Taiwanese authorities also criticized Lai's “political persecution”, calling for his immediate release. “The harsh sentence handed down to Jimmy Lai under Hong Kong's National Security Law not only deprives him of his personal liberty and violates freedom of speech and press freedom, but also denies citizens the fundamental right to hold those in power accountable,” Taiwan's Mainland China Affairs Council (MAC) said.
“The loudest victim of the regulations. Pro-democracy press tycoon sentenced
The announcement of the verdict was accompanied by extraordinary precautions and a heavy police presence, which cordoned off the courthouse. In the courtroom, apart from the convict's family and representatives of foreign consulates, there were also: 94-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong and a symbol of resistance to Beijing. Former employees of “Apple Daily”, which was closed by the authorities, also came to the courthouse to show solidarity with their former boss.
Lai, who also holds British citizenship, was previously sentenced to prison in other proceedings and has been in prison since 2020. He is being held in solitary confinement, and his family and lawyers have repeatedly raised alarms about the significant deterioration of his health.
He is the most high-profile victim of the national security law introduced by Beijing in response to mass protests in 2019. Critics point out that the law, which criminalizes secession and foreign collusion, has served to completely suppress democratic opposition and independent media in the former British colony.
