China critic Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in jail after landmark Hong Kong trial

Hong Kong's most vocal China critic, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in jail, ending the city's biggest national security case which drew global concern about Beijing's clampdown on freedoms in the former British colony.

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 lasted nearly five years.

The 78-year-old British citizen has denied all the charges against him, saying in court he is a "political prisoner" facing persecution from Beijing.

Lai, founder of the feisty and now shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and was convicted last year.

His 20-year sentence was within the harshest penalty tier for offences of a "grave nature", the three judges said, as they announced the most severe punishment yet meted out under the national security law.

The severity of Lai's sentence reflects the fact that he was the 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 U.S. and other countries while involving a web of individuals including Apple Daily staff, activists and foreigners.

Six former senior Apple Daily staffers, an activist and a paralegal were also sentenced to jail terms ranging from six to 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. 

'EVIL DEEDS WERE BEYOND MEASURE'

Australia, Britain, the European Union, Japan and Taiwan expressed concerns about the impact of the sentencing.

U.N. rights chief Volker Turk called for the verdict to be quashed and for Lai to be released on humanitarian grounds, given his age and health.

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said the verdict was "tantamount to a life sentence" and said London would "rapidly engage further on Mr Lai's case".

Japan's chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara said his government was "seriously concerned" about the impact the case had on Hong Kong's freedom of speech, association and assembly.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, under China's State Council, said the sentence was "a solemn and powerful declaration that whoever dares to challenge the law on safeguarding national security will be severely punished".

Hong Kong's leader John Lee said: "(Jimmy Lai) has committed numerous heinous crimes, and his evil deeds were beyond measure." The sentence "brings great relief to all," he added. 

   Lai's trial has drawn criticism from global leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, spotlighting a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled Asian financial hub, following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Those concerns reflected in part Lai's long-standing international profile as a pro-democracy critic of China's Communist Party leadership and his extensive political connections, particularly among U.S. Republicans - ties that prosecutors cited during the case. 

At the height of the protests in July 2019, Lai met then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington.

Beijing in 2020 imposed the national security law in Hong Kong, saying it was necessary to stabilise the city after months of sometimes violent unrest.

LIFE IN PRISON?

Lai's friends and supporters say he is in frail health with diabetes and high blood pressure, and should be freed.

Lai's son, Sebastien, said the sentence "is devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father" and marked the "total destruction" of the Hong Kong legal system.

"After more than five years of relentlessly persecuting my father, it is time for China to do the right thing and release him before it is too late," he said from outside Hong Kong.

Lai, one of Hong Kong's most prominent Roman Catholics, arrived at the court in a white jacket, with hands held together in a praying gesture as he smiled and waved at supporters. 

Hong Kong police played down concerns about Lai's health. The head of the force's national security department, Steve Li, said Lai's health concerns had been "exaggerated".

Beijing and Hong Kong officials say Lai has received a fair trial and that all are treated equally under a national security law they say has been vital to restoring order to the city.

Dozens of Lai's supporters queued for several days to secure a spot in the courtroom.

"I feel that Mr. Lai is the conscience of Hong Kong," said a man named Sum, 64, who was in the queue.

Starmer raised the case of Lai during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month in Beijing, according to people briefed on the discussions, as did Trump during a meeting with Xi last October. 

Lai's lawyer, Robert Pang, declined to comment when asked whether Lai would appeal, saying he has 28 days to do so.