A Hong Kong court jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years on Monday after he was found guilty of national security offences last December
This is the harshest sentence under the controversial national security law, which China says is necessary for the city's stability
Lai, who is a British citizen, was one of the loudest critics of Beijing, often wielding his pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, as a tool of protest
Six former executives of the paper were also jailed on Monday - from six years and nine months to 10 years
Hailed a hero by the pro-democracy movement, Lai is seen as a traitor by Beijing. He has always denied the charges against him
The UK calls for the Chinese government to release Lai, saying it will "rapidly engage further" with Beijing. But Hong Kong's chief executive welcomes the sentence, saying Lai used "used Apple Daily to poison the minds of citizens"
Lai's son, Sebastien, tells the BBC his father's punishment is "basically a death sentence"
Phoebe Kong
BBC Chinese
Lai, wearing a white jacket and black glasses, has entered the courtroom with other defendants - six senior executives of his Apple Daily newspaper, are also set to be sentenced today, in what will likely be an hour-long hearing.
He had a big smile on his face when he turned to face his family and other supporters. His wife Teresa also waved at him.
We earlier reported that many supporters of Jimmy Lai have been lining up outside court since Friday evening.
Footage shows many of them sitting and lying on the ground between the courthouse and a steel barricade throughout the night.
Some see this as the last chance to see Jimmy Lai.
"I just wish to greet Mr Lai in person in court," one supporter, who said he started queuing on Thursday night. "That's all I ask for, because I think it will be the last time I see him."
Watch: Jimmy Lai supporters queue overnight outside court ahead of sentencing
Phoebe Kong
BBC Chinese
Image source, BBC News ChineseMs Ng, identified only by her surname, has been coming to the court over the course of the whole trial.
She says Lai has shown much resilience - and that she's here to show her support for him.
“It's distressing that Hong Kong has sunk to this level,” she says, lamenting the demise of the Apple Daily. “The media have lost their fundamental role and all information that circulates now must carry a specific narrative or is used to steer public opinion.”
She says she is waiting to see if “a miracle” could happen.
Phoebe Kong
Reporting from outside the court
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesWe are at the court now and the mood has been tense.
There are heavy police presence and the control over the press has been tightened compared to previous days of the court hearings.
It has become much harder for journalists to interview and talk to the members of the public queuing outside the court because of strict cordons.
Image source, Getty ImagesHailed by some as a hero and scorned by others as a traitor, the 78-year-old is the most prominent person charged under the national security law which was introduced by China in 2020 in response to massive pro-democracy protests which erupted in Hong Kong the year before.
Born in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Jimmy Lai was 12-years-old when he arrived in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat. He started working menial jobs and eventually founded a multi-million dollar empire that included the clothing brand Giordano.
After 1989, when China crushed pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Lai began a new journey as a vocal democracy activist.
He launched popular pro-democracy news outlets like Next magazine and Apple Daily newspaper, and became a regular attendee of the city’s pro-democracy demonstrations.
Many in Hong Kong saw him as a defender of the city’s freedoms, but Beijing viewed him as threat to Chinese national security.
Read this story for more on Jimmy Lai.
Danny Vincent
Reporting from court
Many supporters have been lining up outside court since Friday evening. Some see this as the last chance to see Jimmy Lai.
There is a large police presence outside court. Some supporters are still outspoken.
“He made all the western states understand the true nature of the Chinese communist party. He made a one man stand against a giant. Even if he falls he is a hero in my mind," one supporter told me.
Image source, Getty ImagesLai’s family has repeatedly flagged concerns about his deteriorating health in prison. The 78-year-old is diabetic and has been kept in solitary confinement.
Last December, his daughter Claire told the BBC that Lai had “lost a significant amount of weight” and could not get out of bed on some days.
He had “fingernails that turn purplish grey and sometimes fall off” and “teeth that are rotting”, she said.
Lai’s son, Sebastien, told the BBC previously that even a five-year jail sentence was “practically the same as a death penalty” for his father.
Hong Kong and Chinese authorities have denied that Lai has been mistreated in prison, saying he is in "good health" and his rights are “fully protected”.
Image source, Getty ImagesChina introduced the controversial national security law in 2020 in response pro-democracy protests which erupted in Hong Kong the year before.
The legislation makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, including anything the state regards as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. It also allows Hong Kong to send cases to be tried in mainland China.
Critics say the law reduced autonomy and created a climate of fear in the city, but Beijing and Hong Kong authorities argue it is necessary for stability.
In 2024, Hong Kong signed a new security law called Article 23 into force, which expands on the NSL. Article 23 covers treason, sedition and state secrets, and allows for trials to be held behind closed doors, raising fears that civil liberties would be further eroded.
Read more about the NSL and about Article 23.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we mentioned earlier, Lai was found guilty of colluding with foreign forces under the city's controversial national security law (NSL).
Lai used his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper as part of a wider effort to lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China, the court found.
Hong Kong chief executive John Lee welcomed the verdict, noting that Lai's actions "damaged the country's interests and the welfare of Hong Kongers". Rights groups called it "a cruel judicial farce".
Delivering the verdict, Judge Esther Toh said there was "no doubt" that Jimmy Lai "harboured hatred" for the People's Republic of China (PRC), citing his "constant invitation to the US to help bring down the government of the PRC with the excuse of helping the people of Hong Kong".
He was also found guilty of publishing seditious material on Apple Daily under a separate colonial-era law.
Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy tycoon, will learn his sentence on Monday after being found guilty of national security offences last December.
The 78-year-old was convicted of colluding with foreign forces, under the controversial Beijing-imposed national security law. He was also convicted of sedition under a separate colonial-era law. Lai had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
His trial was seen as a test of judicial independence in Hong Kong, which has come under Beijing's tightening control since massive pro-democracy protests broke out in 2019.
Lai, one of the most prominent faces of the city’s pro-democracy movement, now faces life in prison. He has already been in jail since 2020 for a range of charges, ranging from illegal assembly to fraud.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest on this story.