A Hong Kong court sentenced anti-China media figure Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison on charges of violating the National Security Act.
According to local media on the 9th, the West Kowloon Court on Tuesday morning found Jimmy Lai guilty on all three counts, including collusion with foreign forces and sedition, and handed down the sentence.
The court found that during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Jimmy Lai used his international connections to actively lobby multiple countries, together with the anti-China campaign group "SWHK" ("Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong"), for sanctions against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments and officials.
The court also said that acts of inciting street protests and confrontation with the government through the anti-China outlet Apple Daily violated the National Security Act.
Previously, Jimmy Lai, the founder and owner of Apple Daily, was detained in Dec. 2020 on charges including violating Hong Kong's National Security Act. In December, a Hong Kong court found Jimmy Lai guilty on all three counts, including collusion with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials.
In June 2020, China enforced Hong Kong's National Security Act to tighten control after the 2019 anti-government protests. The law stipulates that the maximum penalty for the four offenses of ▲ secession ▲ subversion ▲ terrorist activities ▲ collusion with foreign forces can be life imprisonment.