UK CRITICISED AFTER JIMMY LAI RECEIVES LIFE-EQUIVALENT SENTENCE IN HONG KONG

Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old pro-democracy media mogul, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law, in what UK officials have described as tantamount to a life sentence.

The sentencing comes days after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing; the first by a British Prime Minister in eight years, which critics argued failed to secure Lai’s release. The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs said Starmer’s trip represented a “squandered opportunity” to help Lai.

“These opportunities will cost Jimmy Lai his life,” the group said in a statement. Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, similarly described the visit as a missed chance, questioning why conditionalities for his father’s release were not negotiated.

In response to the sentence, the UK government said it “will rapidly engage further” with Chinese authorities. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the sentencing, calling for Lai’s release on humanitarian grounds so that he may be reunited with his family.

“British national Jimmy Lai was today sentenced to 20 years in prison… for a 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence,” Cooper said in a statement posted on X. “We stand with the people of Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu welcomed the sentencing, describing Lai’s actions as “heinous” and “utterly despicable.” In a Facebook post, Lee accused Lai of using his media company, Apple Daily, to incite hatred, distort facts, create social division, and solicit sanctions from foreign powers. He characterised the sentence as a milestone in Hong Kong’s efforts to safeguard national security.

Jimmy Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing and founder of Apple Daily, has long challenged the national security law, warning of its severe implications for Hong Kong. His son, Sebastien, has also expressed concern that his father may die in prison if the sentence is fully served.

This 20-year sentence is the harshest penalty imposed under the national security law to date, raising international concerns over the law’s use against pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong.