Sawt Falasteen - Hong Kong sentences pro-democracy mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in jail

The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, as well as one count of seditious publication.

"After considering the serious and grave criminal conduct of Lai... the Court was satisfied that the total sentence for Lai in the present case should be 20 years' imprisonment," a summary document from the judges said.

Two of those years will overlap with Lai's existing prison term, meaning that he will serve an additional 18 years, the judges wrote.

Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020, sat impassively in the dock as his sentence was read out, an AFP journalist in the court saw.

As he was led away, he waved solemnly to people in the public gallery, including his wife Teresa, former Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen, and former Apple Daily reporters.

Lai's case has been condemned by rights groups as a death knell for press freedoms in Hong Kong, while international leaders have urged Hong Kong and Beijing to release him.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had raised the issue of Lai, a British citizen, during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, adding that the discussion was "respectful".

US President Donald Trump has also called for Lai's release.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement before Monday's sentencing that Lai's trial "has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom".

Reporters Without Borders said the mogul's sentencing "will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory".

Beijing has dismissed critics as smearing Hong Kong's judicial system, while Hong Kong authorities say Lai's case "has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press".

Around 70 people braved the cold to queue outside the West Kowloon court at daybreak, while dozens of journalists gathered outside the building's entrance.

Activist Tsang Kin-shing, a member of the now-disbanded League of Social Democrats, said he was worried given Lai's advanced age.

"Apple Daily has shut down and the media's mentality has changed completely," Tsang told AFP.

The mood outside court was tense as police deployed dozens of officers, an armoured car and a bomb disposal van to the area.

- Stiff penalties -

Long a thorn in Beijing's side, Lai was prosecuted under a Hong Kong national security law that was imposed by Beijing in 2020, a year after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub.

The judges said in their verdict in December that Lai had "harboured his resentment and hatred of (China) for many of his adult years" and sought the "downfall of the Chinese Communist Party".

Eight other defendants, including six Apple Daily executives, are due to be sentenced alongside Lai on Monday, all of whom pleaded guilty.

Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 following police raids.

Lai's defence lawyer Robert Pang previously told the court a lengthy jail term would be "harsher" for someone of Lai's age and physical condition.

"Every day (Lai) spends in prison will bring him that much closer to the end of his life," Pang said at the time.

Prosecutors cited in response a prison medical report that said Lai's "general health condition remains stable", and that he had no complaints after being treated for problems with his heart, teeth and nails.

Lai was kept in solitary confinement at his own request to avoid harassment, prosecutors said.

Two of his children have raised concerns over his health in recent months, but authorities said Lai has received "adequate and comprehensive" care.

As of the start of the month, Hong Kong had arrested a total of 386 people for various national security crimes, with 176 of them being convicted.

J.AbuHassan--SF-PST