Jimmy Lai (now 78) on Feb 9, 2026, was handed a 20-year sentences by Hong Kong’s High Court.

Hong Kong’s High Court convicted pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai on December for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces (under the NSL) and conspiracy to publish seditious material (under the Crimes Ordinance), following his Dec 2025 guilty verdict after a trial spanning nearly five years.

The February 9, 2026, sentencing caps a trial under Beijing’s national security law, with six co-defendants receiving 6 to 10 years.

Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, has already served over 1,800 days in custody since late 2020.

Western leaders like U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Britain’s Yvette Cooper, Rights groups, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, the UK, EU, and others have condemned it as politically motivated and a “monumental injustice” that erodes Hong Kong’s promised autonomy.

However, Hong Kong and Chinese officials defended it as upholding the rule of law.