HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s most vocal China critic, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was sentenced on Monday (Feb 9) to 20 years in jail, ending the city’s biggest national security case, which drew international concern about the city’s freedoms and autonomy.
Lai’s sentence on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one for publishing seditious materials ends a legal saga that has spanned nearly five years.
Lai, founder of the feisty but shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and was convicted last year.
His 20-year sentence was within the harshest penalty “band” for offences of a “grave nature” and is the most severe punishment meted out yet, the three national security judges said.
Lai’s sentence was enhanced by the fact that he was the “mastermind” and driving force behind “persistent” foreign collusion conspiracies, the judges said.
They cited prosecution evidence that the conspiracies had sought sanctions, blockades and other hostile acts from the US and other countries while involving a web of individuals, including Apple Daily staff, activists and foreigners.
Besides Lai, six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal were sentenced to jail terms ranging between six and 10 years.
“In the present case, Lai was no doubt the mastermind of all three conspiracies charged and therefore he warrants a heavier sentence,” the judges said. “As regards the others, it is difficult to distinguish their relative culpability.”
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