Hong Kong's High Court sentenced former media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to 20 years in prison on Monday, following his conviction under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region National Security Law.
The three national security judges—Esther Toh Lye-ping, D’Almada Remedios, and Alex Lee Wan-tang—handed down the sentence after Lai was found guilty in December on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials.
“It is the legislative intent that …the engagement of a foreign entity in endangering national security is generally to be regarded as an offence of a more serious nature which has to be met with a more severe penalty,” the court said in a written judgment.
As Lai was also sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars in December 2022 for one count of fraud, an offense of a “totally different nature and the facts of which were also unrelated to the present case”, the court ruled that 18 of the total 20-year imprisonment are to be served consecutively to his fraud sentence.
In laying out the grounds for sentencing for Lai, the court noted that he had received adequate medical attention and care during his time in prison.
The court said it was not inclined to reduce Lai’s sentence on medical grounds, since these are seldom used as basis for reducing sentences in cases involving grave crimes.
As for Lai’s solitary confinement that was submitted by his counsel as a ground for mitigation, the judges said the arrangement was made on Lai’s request out of his fear of “harassment”. They noted that Lai was also allowed to exercise outside his cell during his imprisonment and was assigned meaningful though very light duty work.
Having considered all the circumstances, including Lai’s old age, health condition and solitary confinement, the court deducted one month from Lai's sentence for seditious publication and one year each for the two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Lai's associated companies, Apple Daily Ltd, Apple Daily Printing Ltd, and AD Internet Ltd, were each fined HK$3,004,500 ($384,000).
His other eight co-defendants who had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces were also sentenced on the same day. Among them, “Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) core members Andy Li Yu-hin and Wayland Chan Tsz-wah received sentences of seven years and three months, and six years and three months, respectively.
Next Digital senior personnel Cheung Kim-hung was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, Chan Pui-man to seven years, and Yeung Ching-kee to seven years and three months.
Law Wai-kwong and Lam Man-chung and Fung Wai-kong were each sentenced to 10 years in jail. The court noted their sentences reflected the fact that they did not assist the authorities or provide evidence for the prosecution.
