Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to total of 20 years in national security trial

Record ID: 2338486

  • Title: Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to total of 20 years in national security trial
  • Date: 9th February 2026
  • Summary: HONG KONG,CHINA (FEBRUARY 9, 2026) (REUTERS) RETIRED BISHOP CARDINAL JOSEPH ZEN ZE-KIUN AND JIMMY LAI’S WIFE TERESA LAI, ARRIVING AT COURT VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS STANDING OUTSIDE COURT DEFENCE LAWYER FOR JIMMY LAI, KEVIN STEEL, ARRIVING AT COURT POLICE OFFICERS STANDING OUTSIDE COURT LAI'S DEFENCE LAWYER STEVEN KWAN (RIGHT) ARRIVING AT COURT / POLICE OFFICERS OUTSIDE C
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: China Hong Kong Jimmy Lai arrival court national security law sentencing
  • Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
  • City: HONG KONG, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA001379209022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday (February 9) to a total of 20 years in jail on national security charges comprising two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of publishing seditious materials.
    The sentence ends a legal saga spanning almost five years, and Hong Kong's most high-profile national security hearing. Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was first arrested in August 2020 and convicted last year.
    Lai's sentence of 20 years was within the most severe penalty "band" of 10 years to life imprisonment for offences of a "grave nature."
    Lai’s wife, Teresa Lai, was seen arriving at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building with retired Bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, and leaving after the sentence was passed. 
    The Hong Kong court said Lai's sentence was enhanced by the fact that he was "mastermind" and driving force behind foreign collusion conspiracies.
    The 78-year-old, a British citizen, has denied all the charges against him, saying in court he is a "political prisoner" facing persecution from Beijing.
    Lai's plight has been criticized by global leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, spotlighting a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled Asian financial hub, following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
    (Production: Jiang Xihao, Shung Sin Tan)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register