Jimmy Lai drops appeal against 20 year prison sentence in Hong Kong
Jimmy Lai, the 78 year old founder of the now closed Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, has decided not to appeal his conviction or his 20 year prison sentence under Beijing’s national security law, his legal team confirmed Friday, bringing one of the city’s most closely watched legal cases to a conclusion.
Lawyers representing Lai told the Associated Press and Reuters that they had received clear instructions from their client not to challenge either the conviction or the sentence. They did not provide further explanation for the decision.
Lai was found guilty in December on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious material. The charges followed what became the most significant national security law trial in Hong Kong since the legislation was imposed by China after the 2019 pro democracy protests.
On February 9, the court sentenced Lai to 20 years in prison, the longest sentence issued so far under the national security law. Judges ruled that Lai played a leading role in the offenses, describing him as the central figure behind the alleged conspiracy. Prosecutors argued that he used Apple Daily and his international contacts to advocate for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong authorities and the Chinese government.
The court said Lai’s position as the organizer of the scheme justified a harsher sentence, although judges acknowledged mitigating factors including his age, health concerns, and prolonged detention in solitary confinement.
Six former executives of Apple Daily and two pro democracy activists were also convicted in the same case and received prison sentences ranging from about six to ten years.
The conviction drew strong criticism from the United States and the United Kingdom. US President Donald Trump said he had raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping and plans to discuss it again during a visit to Beijing scheduled from March 31 to April 2.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Hong Kong authorities to release Lai on humanitarian grounds, noting that he holds British citizenship.
Lai recently achieved a rare legal victory when a Hong Kong appeals court overturned a separate fraud conviction and a five year nine month prison sentence, ruling that prosecutors had failed to prove the case. While that decision may slightly reduce his total prison time, the national security conviction alone could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Lai was among the first high profile figures arrested under the national security law introduced in 2020. Apple Daily, the newspaper he founded in 1995, shut down in June 2021 after police raids, staff arrests, and the freezing of company assets.
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