Family of media tycoon say he will ‘die a martyr behind bars’, amid widespread criticism from press freedom groups
Amy Hawkins at The Guardian:
Jimmy Lai, the media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for national security offences, a punishment his daughter said could mean “he will die a martyr behind bars”.
Claire Lai said the sentence was “heartbreakingly cruel” given her 78-year-old father’s declining health, while her brother Sebastien Lai called the sentence “draconian” and “devastating”.
The sentencing is the culmination of a years-long saga that critics say represents Hong Kong’s transformation from a mostly free city to one where dissent is fiercely suppressed by the Chinese Communist party-controlled authorities.
Lai was convicted in December on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The collusion convictions carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The judges in Lai’s case described him as the “mastermind” behind the conspiracies. They granted him minor deductions on his sentences on health grounds.
Lai’s 20-year term is the harshest penalty handed down for national security offences in Hong Kong. The sentence was condemned immediately by Taiwan, as well as press freedom and human rights groups.
Reporters Without Borders said: “Today, the curtain falls on press freedom in Hong Kong … This court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism.”
Human Rights Watch said the length of jail time given to Lai was “effectively a death sentence”. “A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust. Lai’s years of persecution show the Chinese government’s determination to crush independent journalism and silence anyone who dares to criticise the Communist party,” it said.
Amnesty International called the case “another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear”.
[...]
Lai is the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, a popular Hong Kong newspaper that supported the pro-democracy movement that swelled in the city in the 2010s. The movement was crushed in June 2020 by the imposition of a harsh national security law that criminalised most forms of dissent. The authorities said the law was necessary to restore stability to the city. Lai was arrested and charged under that law in August that year. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021.
Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison. Lai’s arrest is the culmination of Hong Kong becoming increasingly unfree.
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