Hong Kong convicts and sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 years under security law
Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, was convicted on national-security charges on December 15, 2025 and sentenced to 20 years in prison on February 8, 2026, in a case UN experts and press-freedom groups said was connected to his publication's coverage.1
- Country
- Hong Kong
- Where
- Hong Kong
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Detention and violence
- Outcome
- Unknown
- Era
- The 2020s
What happened
On December 15, 2025, a Hong Kong court convicted media owner and pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai on two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the National Security Law and a third count of conspiracy to publish seditious material under colonial-era sedition legislation. Lai, founder of the now-closed newspaper Apple Daily and magazine Next Magazine, had been held in detention since his 2020 arrest. On February 8, 2026, the court sentenced Lai to 20 years in prison. Human Rights Watch and United Nations experts said the charges were bogus and expressed dismay at the conviction; Apple Daily and Next Magazine were forced to close after Lai's 2020 arrest.1234
Lai remains imprisoned following his February 2026 sentencing.4
What reason was given
Hong Kong prosecutors alleged Lai conspired with foreign forces and published seditious material through Apple Daily's coverage, framed by authorities as a national-security matter under the 2020 National Security Law.2
What changed for reporting
Apple Daily and Next Magazine ceased publication after Lai's arrest; press-freedom groups say the case has made Hong Kong journalists and foreign correspondents more cautious in their coverage.3
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Department of Justice | enforced | Prosecuting authority, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Daily | outlet | affected |
| Next Magazine | outlet | affected |
| Jimmy Lai | journalist, Apple Daily | affected |
Sources
- Explainer: the decline of Hong Kong's press freedom under the National Security Law
- Hong Kong: Freedom in the World 2026
- Hong Kong Policy Act Report 2026
- Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai convicted on bogus national security charges
- Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison
Claims cited
- Jimmy Lai was convicted on national-security and sedition charges.
On December 15, 2025, the High Court found Lai, 78, guilty of two counts of 'conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces' under the draconian National Security Law, and one count of 'conspiracy to publish seditious publications'
Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai convicted on bogus national security charges, Human Rights Watch, 2025-12-15. Claim 82, checked 2026-09-22. - Prosecutors framed the charges as a national-security matter tied to Apple Daily's coverage.
The court ruled that Lai was the 'mastermind' of the alleged conspiracies in all three counts.
Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai convicted on bogus national security charges, Human Rights Watch, 2025-12-15. Claim 83, checked 2026-09-22. - Apple Daily shut down in June 2021 after its accounts were frozen and its leadership arrested.
Apple Daily, says it is shutting down. Its accounts have been frozen and much of its top leadership has been arrested.
Explainer: the decline of Hong Kong's press freedom under the National Security Law, Hong Kong Free Press, 2026-05-03. Claim 84, checked 2026-09-22. - Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison and remains imprisoned.
The court ruled that Lai was the 'mastermind' of the alleged conspiracies in all three counts.
Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai convicted on bogus national security charges, Human Rights Watch, 2025-12-15. Claim 85, checked 2026-09-22.