New Delhi, Feb 09: A Hong Kong court has sentenced pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of national security offences in December. The court said it was “not inclined” to reduce his sentence despite his poor health, stating that medical conditions are rarely grounds for leniency in serious crimes, reports the BBC. “We note that the general rule is that medical grounds will seldom, if ever, be a basis for reducing the sentence for crimes of gravity,” the court said in its ruling as reported by the BBC.
Lai’s lawyer told the court that the 78-year-old suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and other ailments. His family has repeatedly raised concerns about his deteriorating health while in prison. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities have maintained that Lai is in good health and that his rights are “fully protected”.
Human Rights Watch strongly criticised the verdict. “His sentence is effectively a death sentence for Jimmy Lai,” said Elaine Pearson, the organisation’s Asia director. She described the punishment as “cruel and profoundly unjust”, as reported by the international media adding that Lai’s case shows the Chinese government’s determination to crush independent journalism and silence critics of the Communist Party. Jimmy Lai, who holds a British passport, was also convicted of sedition under a separate law.
Many media persons call it a devastating blow to media freedom in the city. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Hong Kong authorities to stop targeting journalists and release those currently imprisoned. It noted that China consistently ranks as the world’s worst jailer of journalists. At least 51 journalists are currently behind bars in China, including eight in Hong Kong, according to the organisation.
Other defendants in the case, including six former executives of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, received sentences ranging from more than six years to ten years in prison. Lai is the most prominent figure charged under Hong Kong’s national security law, which was imposed by China in 2020 following mass pro-democracy protests the previous year.
Jimmy Lai’s is a media owner who used journalism to challenge those in power. Born in Guangzhou in China, Lai arrived in Hong Kong at the age of 12 as a stowaway. He rose from poverty to build a business empire that included the clothing brand Giordano. After China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, Lai became an outspoken supporter of democratic freedoms. He founded popular pro-democracy publications such as Next magazine and the Apple Daily newspaper, which were known for their sharp criticism of Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities. Many in Hong Kong viewed Lai as a defender of free speech and civil liberties, while Beijing saw him as a threat to national security. His conviction and long prison sentence are widely seen as a warning to journalists and media organisations, highlighting the shrinking space for independent journalism in Hong Kong and raising broader concerns about press freedom in the region.
