Hong Kong media proprietor Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday to a cumulative 20 years behind bars following his conviction on national security offences. The 76-year-old, who founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily tabloid, was found guilty on three counts: two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials.
The court's decision brings to a close what authorities have described as one of the most high-profile national security cases in Hong Kong. The legal proceedings have unfolded over nearly five years, beginning with Lai's initial arrest in August 2020 and ending with convictions entered on December 15.
The Apple Daily, which had positioned itself with a pro-democracy editorial line, ceased publication after Lai's arrest and amid a wider national security crackdown across the city. The closure of the newspaper followed the intensifying legal and regulatory actions that affected the operation of certain media outlets in the territory.
Supporters and observers had watched the case closely given its visibility and symbolic significance. The sentence imposed on Monday reflects the court's findings on the three specific charges for which Lai was convicted. The judicial process that produced the sentence extended across multiple years and legal steps, as the matter moved from arrest to trial and ultimately to sentencing.
This development completes the adjudication of the charges described above; no other outcomes beyond the convictions and the 20-year total sentence are presented here. The factual record in this account is limited to the events and legal milestones reported: Lai's age, his role as founder of Apple Daily, the three convictions, the 20-year sentence, the timing of arrest in August 2020, the date of conviction on December 15, and the newspaper's subsequent closure amid a citywide national security enforcement context.
Summary
Jimmy Lai, aged 76 and founder of the now-closed Apple Daily, received a combined 20-year jail term after being convicted on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. The sentence concludes a legal process that began with his arrest in August 2020 and reached a conviction on December 15.