Hong Kong: Media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years
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.
"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.
Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai-sentenced-to-20-years/a-75867715
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8 February 2026
Jimmy Lai
Summary
A Hong Kong court jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years on Monday after he was found guilty of national security offences last December ...nThis is the harshest sentence under the controversial national security law, which China says is necessary for the city's stability
Lai, who is a British citizen, was one of the loudest critics of Beijing, often wielding his pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, as a tool of protest ... Six former executives of the paper were also jailed on Monday - from six years and nine months to 10 years ... Hailed a hero by the pro-democracy movement, Lai is seen as a traitor by Beijing. He has always denied the charges against him
The UK calls for the Chinese government to release Lai, saying it will "rapidly engage further" with Beijing. But Hong Kong's chief executive welcomes the sentence, saying Lai used "used Apple Daily to poison the minds of citizens"
Lai's son, Sebastien, tells the BBC his father's punishment is "basically a death sentence"
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