Human rights organizations have strongly criticized the 20-year prison sentence given to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, on Monday, labeling it as “practically a death sentence” and a severe miscarriage of justice.

On Monday, a Hong Kong court delivered Lai’s sentence, following a high-profile national security trial that has faced widespread condemnation from rights advocates and Western governments. This case is seen as a stark representation of the diminishing press freedoms in the city.

The 78-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper was convicted in December on two charges of foreign collusion under a comprehensive national security law instituted by Beijing, in addition to one charge of seditious publication.

The judges’ summary document stated, “Given the serious and grave criminal actions of Lai… the Court determined that the total sentence for Lai in this case should be 20 years of imprisonment.”

It was noted by the judges that two of those years will coincide with Lai’s current prison sentence, resulting in an additional 18 years to be served.

Rights organizations have denounced Lai’s sentencing as a critical blow to press freedom in Hong Kong, while global leaders have called on Hong Kong and Beijing to set him free.

“The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence. A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

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”.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had raised the issue of Lai, a British citizen, during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, adding that the discussion was “respectful”.

United States President Donald Trump has also called for Lai’s release.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement before Monday’s sentencing that Lai’s trial “has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom”.

Reporters Without Borders said the mogul’s sentencing “will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory”.

Beijing has dismissed critics as smearing Hong Kong’s judicial system, while Hong Kong authorities say Lai’s case “has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press”.

Pro-democracy protests and prison terms

Long a thorn in Beijing’s side, Lai was prosecuted under a Hong Kong national security law that was imposed by Beijing in 2020, a year after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests there.

The judges said in their verdict in December that Lai had “harboured his resentment and hatred of (China) for many of his adult years” and sought the “downfall of the Chinese Communist Party”.

Eight other defendants, including six Apple Daily executives, are due to be sentenced alongside Lai on Monday, all of whom pleaded guilty. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 following police raids.

Lai’s defence lawyer Robert Pang previously told the court a lengthy jail term would be “harsher” for someone of Lai’s age and physical condition.

“Every day (Lai) spends in prison will bring him that much closer to the end of his life,” Pang said at the time.

Prosecutors cited in response a prison medical report that said Lai’s “general health condition remains stable”, and that he had no complaints after being treated for problems with his heart, teeth and nails.

Lai was kept in solitary confinement at his own request to avoid harassment, prosecutors said.

Two of his children have raised concerns over his health in recent months, but authorities said Lai has received “adequate and comprehensive” care.

As of the start of the month, Hong Kong had arrested a total of 386 people for various national security crimes, with 176 of them being convicted.

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