THE NEW YORK TIMES: The media tycoon, a Chinese-born British citizen, had been a persistent critic of Beijing. The sentence is the harshest penalty so far under a national security law.
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul who spent decades as a defiant thorn in Beijing’s side, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison, the harshest penalty ever handed down for a national security offense in the semiautonomous territory.
The landmark ruling completes a yearslong effort by Beijing to dismantle the influence of a man it blamed for masterminding Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
Mr. Lai, 78, smiled and waved at the public gallery after his sentencing. His wife, Teresa Lai, sat emotionless with her arms folded, and weeping could be heard in the back of the gallery.
His daughter, Claire Lai, said the sentence was “heartbreakingly cruel.” She added: “If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars.”
In December, Mr. Lai was found guilty of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” that stemmed from meetings he had held with politicians in the United States. He was also convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious material in Apple Daily, the now-shuttered Chinese-language pro-democracy newspaper he founded in 1995. » | David Pierson and Francesca Regalado | Published: Sunday, February 8, 2026. Updated: Monday, February 9, 2026
