Jimmy Lai’s 20-year jail term under Hong Kong’s National Security Law turns one trial into a global test of Beijing’s power and the future of press freedom
Newsroom (19/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) Media tycoon and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily and one of Hong Kong’s loudest critics of Beijing, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a five-year trial that tested the limits of China’s National Security Law (NSL).
At 78, Lai stands as both victim and symbol of Hong Kong’s dismantled freedoms. Convicted of conspiracy with foreign forces and publishing seditious material, his case marks a decisive end to the city’s independent press and a triumph for Beijing’s tightening control.
Hong Kong Governor John Lee lauded the verdict, calling Lai’s actions “heinous crimes” and describing the ruling as a “great relief to everyone.” Western governments and human rights groups instead condemned the judgment as a severe blow to the rule of law.
Tension and Mourning in the Courtroom
The verdict drew crowds who waited for days outside the courthouse under the watch of hundreds of police, armored trucks, and bomb squads. Inside, Lai smiled briefly toward his wife, Teresa, and Cardinal Joseph Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong known for his advocacy of religious freedom.
His son Sebastien Lai described the 20-year sentence as “devastating,” saying it placed his father’s life at risk and represented the “total destruction” of Hong Kong’s justice system.
Six former Apple Daily executives, as well as two activists, received sentences of six to ten years, several of whom reportedly cooperated with prosecutors in exchange for leniency.
Faith as Resistance
Among those condemning the ruling was Fr. Franco Mella, a well-known missionary and human rights defender. He said the outcome affects not only Lai but an entire circle of journalists and editors who once worked for Apple Daily.
“The people are in low spirits,” he said, “but they continue to give moral support.” For Mella, this ordeal is not only political but spiritual: “We have a duty to continue speaking out,” he said, adding that the Church has been too silent, and that “as a grassroots base, we must persist.”
Global Condemnation
The China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network called on Hong Kong authorities to release Lai, warning that the elderly tycoon “risks dying in prison.” “He has committed no crime and should be freed immediately,” said researcher Angeli Datt.
Since 2020, the NSL has radically transformed Hong Kong, criminalizing dissent and dismantling once-vibrant opposition movements. The prosecution of Lai—Britain-born, Catholic, and outspoken against Beijing—signals a strategic move to silence international criticism through intimidation.
A Life Behind Bars
In custody since December 2020, Lai has endured almost 1,800 days in solitary confinement. He suffers from diabetes, hypertension, cataracts, and heart problems. His family has been largely left in the dark about his medical care—an ordeal reminiscent of the fate of other Chinese dissidents, including Liu Xiaobo and Cao Shunli, who died in detention after being denied treatment.
Meanwhile, three other prominent activists—Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho—await possible 10-year sentences under the same sweeping law. They were central figures in organizing Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil, now banned.
The Death of a Free Press
Observers now see Lai’s trial as the moment Hong Kong’s last semblance of press freedom was extinguished. Once a city of debate and dissent, Hong Kong’s public sphere has been remade in Beijing’s image. The message is unmistakable: resistance will be punished, even faith and conscience must yield.
As Fr. Mella warned, “The important thing is not to let silence fall on these events.”
For many, the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai is more than one man’s tragedy—it is the moral collapse of an entire city once defined by its liberty.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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