Hong Kong ex-media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced on February 9 after national security conviction
The Hindu
Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong's ex-media tycoon, faces sentencing on February 9 for national security law violations amid international criticism.
Hong Kong's pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced Monday (February 9, 2026) following his conviction in December under a Beijing-imposed national security law.
Mr. Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, could face up to life in prison in the case that has stirred criticism from some foreign governments.
The judiciary said on Friday (February 6) on its website that it's calling for the sentencing session at 10 a.m. Monday (February 9).
Mr. Lai was an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party and was arrested in 2020 under the national security law that Beijing deemed necessary for the city's stability following anti-government protests the previous year.
His trial was widely seen as an indicator of the decline of press freedom in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The sentencing could create tensions between Beijing and foreign governments. Lai's conviction already drew criticism from the U.S. and Britain. After the December verdict, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had raised Lai's case with China, said he felt “so bad.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's administration has called for the release of Lai, who is a British citizen.
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