{"id":2567953,"date":"2026-02-09T14:02:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:04:43","slug":"pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Hong Kong&#8217;s Jimmy Lai Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2567953&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Hong Kong\u2019s Chinese-backed government has sentenced media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hong-kong-newspaper-prints-5x-daily-copies-after-police-raid\/\" title=\"Hong Kong Newspaper Prints 5x Daily Copies After Police Raid\">2020 national security law<\/a>, a ruling described as the longest such sentence under the law. Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, was previously convicted in December on charges including collusion with foreign powers and sedition, as part of beijing\u2019s broader crackdown on dissent. The piece notes that at 78 and with health concerns, Lai could spend the rest of his life in prison if the sentence isn\u2019t shortened or he isn\u2019t released.<\/p>\n<p>International reactions are highlighted, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the decision as unjust and urging humanitarian parole, and former President Donald Trump expressing sympathy and asking Xi Jinping to consider Lai\u2019s release. The article frames Lai\u2019s case within ongoing concerns about freedom in Hong Kong and what it describes as \u201clawfare\u201d against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2021-the-year-democracy-died-in-hong-kong\/\" title=\"2021: The Year Democracy Died in Hong Kong\">pro-democracy voices<\/a>, offering background on Lai\u2019s role in Hong Kong\u2019s pro-democracy movement and the government\u2019s crackdown. The piece is written by Shawn Fleetwood of The Federalist.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:A4U0349_(50897721321).jpg\">Studio Incendo\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Pro-China%20Forces%20Sentence%20Hong%20Kong%20Freedom%20Fighter%20Jimmy%20Lai%20To%2020%20Years%20In%20Prison&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Pro-China%20Forces%20Sentence%20Hong%20Kong%20Freedom%20Fighter%20Jimmy%20Lai%20To%2020%20Years%20In%20Prison&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Pro-China%20Forces%20Sentence%20Hong%20Kong%20Freedom%20Fighter%20Jimmy%20Lai%20To%2020%20Years%20In%20Prison&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/pro-china-forces-sentence-hong-kong-freedom-fighter-jimmy-lai-to-20-years-in-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In a further erosion of freedom in Hong Kong, the city&rsquo;s Chinese-backed government sentenced media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison on Monday. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Having stepped back and taking a global view of the total sentence for Lai&rsquo;s serious and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >grave criminal conduct &#038;hellip<\/a>; we are satisfied that the total sentence for Lai in the present case should be 20&nbsp;years&rsquo; imprisonment,&rdquo; Hong Kong&rsquo;s High Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/09\/hong-kong-media-tycoon-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-imprisonment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> wrote in its ruling. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1407112723\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/16\/jimmy-lais-criminal-conviction-is-what-democracy-dying-in-darkness-actually-looks-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, Lai &mdash; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nba-commissioner-on-chummy-ties-to-china-we-have-to-build-relationships\/\" title=\"NBA Commissioner On Chummy Ties To China: \u2018We Have To Build Relationships\u2019\">pro-freedom activist<\/a> and founder of the city&rsquo;s now-shuttered largest pro-democracy newspaper (Apple Daily) &mdash; was previously convicted by the city&rsquo;s pro-China government in December &ldquo;on charges of alleged collusion with foreign powers and sedition.&rdquo; Most of the charges were brought under Hong Kong&rsquo;s national security law, which was implemented as a means of further criminalizing dissent and solidifying the Chinese Communist Party and its allies&rsquo; control of the city.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/09\/hong-kong-media-tycoon-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-imprisonment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNBC<\/a>, Lai&rsquo;s 20-year sentence &ldquo;was the longest handed out under the national security law introduced in 2020, surpassing the 10-year term given to activist Benny Tai, a former law professor who was convicted of conspiring to subvert state power, in November 2024.&rdquo; Barring any shortening of his sentence or an immediate release, it&rsquo;s likely the 78-year-old media tycoon &mdash; whose health is <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/kvBzm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> declining &mdash; will spend the remainder of his life in prison. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/16\/how-jimmy-lai-became-communist-chinas-good-troublemaker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Jimmy Lai Became Communist China&rsquo;s Good &lsquo;Troublemaker&rsquo;<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Lai&rsquo;s sentencing on behalf of the United States in a Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/releases\/office-of-the-spokesperson\/2026\/02\/sentencing-in-jimmy-lai-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. The former Florida senator called the decision to imprison the pro-democracy activist &ldquo;an unjust and tragic conclusion&rdquo; to the lawfare being waged against him and further urged &ldquo;authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, casting aside the international commitments Beijing made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;After enduring a trial lasting two years, and detention in prison for more than five, Mr. Lai and his family have suffered enough.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. President Donald Trump previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cgr1z48rvxro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expressed sympathy<\/a> for Lai when the latter was convicted by pro-CCP forces in December. Speaking to reporters, the president said, &ldquo;I feel so badly&rdquo; about the situation and revealed that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to &ldquo;consider&rdquo; releasing the media mogul.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an older man and he&rsquo;s not well. So I did put that request out. We&rsquo;ll see what happens, okay?&rdquo; Trump said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/apple-daily\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Apple Daily<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ccp\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CCP<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/china\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">China<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/chinese-communist-party\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Chinese Communist Party<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hong-kong\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hong Kong<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hong-kong-crackdown\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hong Kong crackdown<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hong-kong-protests\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hong Kong protests<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jimmy-lai\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jimmy Lai<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/red-china\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Red China<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HK jails pro-dem activist Lai for 20 years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2567954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jimmy-Lai.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[38254,48598,44205,32433,73358],"class_list":["post-2567953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-hong-kong","tag-jimmy-lai","tag-press-freedom","tag-prison-sentence","tag-pro-democracy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jimmy-Lai.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2567953"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567957,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567953\/revisions\/2567957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2567953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2567953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2567953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}