Lai To Serve 20 Years: Pro-Democracy Activist Convicted Under Hong Kong National Security Law

Hong Kong’s government-appointed three-judge panel sentenced Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, to 20 years in prison, the harshest penalty under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law. Convicted on charges of colluding with foreign forces and sedition, Lai, 78, faces the effective equivalent of a life sentence with a one-year reduction for each of the two national security counts due to his age and health. The ruling underscores Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy dissent and has drawn international attention, with Western leaders and Hong Kong supporters condemning the prosecution as politically motivated. Lai’s case, tried over 150 days in 2023, comes as China and the U.S. seek to stabilize trade ties amid broader geopolitical tensions.