Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a closely watched national security trial that has drawn international criticism, including from the US and Britain.
The 78-year-old Briton was found guilty in December of two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under a China-imposed national security law, as well as a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
Lai, a pro-democracy campaigner and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has always denied all wrongdoing.
His family has raised renewed concerns over the diabetic man’s deteriorating health condition and alleged mistreatment in solitary confinement at a Hong Kong jail where he has been kept in solitary confinement for years.
Among the allegations, Lai was found guilty of using Apple Daily as a platform to conspire with six former executives and others to produce seditious publications between April 2019 and June 2021, as well as to collude with foreign forces, including the US, between July 2020 and June 2021.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said he had a “respectful discussion” regarding Lai with Chinese president Xi Jinping during a recent trip to Beijing, though he declined to provide details.
