Hong Kong’s High Court has jailed prominent media figure and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai for 20 years. The sentence, handed down on 9 February 2026, stems from convictions under Beijing’s national security law enacted in 2020 following mass protests.
A panel of government-appointed judges found the 78-year-old guilty last December of conspiring to collude with foreign entities and plotting seditious publications—charges carrying potential life terms. Lai has already served over five years in detention, much in solitary confinement, on separate fraud convictions.
Founder of the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper launched in 1995, Lai faced accusations of directing six ex-colleagues, activists, and overseas groups to seek sanctions against China via 161 articles. Officials insist the case addresses security threats, not press freedom.
Arrested in August 2020 as an early target of the law—which has detained hundreds and dismantled opposition—police actions forced Apple Daily’s closure in June 2021 after 26 years.
The ruling has sparked global outcry over dwindling freedoms. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Lai’s conviction, saying that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to consider his release, but stopped short of taking new action to pressure Beijing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the case with Xi last month, urging Lai’s release as a British citizen. “Those discussions will continue, and the foreign secretary is in touch with Mr Lai’s family,” Starmer told Parliament.
Rights groups decry the charges as baseless as Lai’s team plans an appeal amid health concerns.