UK foreign secretary says pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai's Hong Kong jail term is 'tantamount to life sentence'

The UK foreign secretary has said a 20-year jail term handed down by a Hong Kong court to pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai is "tantamount to a life sentence".

The 78-year-old media tycoon and British citizen was found guilty ​of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one ​count of publishing seditious materials in December last year.

He had denied all the charges against him, ‌saying in court he was a "political prisoner" facing persecution from Beijing.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper agreed with that assessment and, in a statement, called the sentence a "politically motivated prosecution" aimed at Mr Lai "for exercising his right to freedom of expression".

"For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai's health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family," she added.

Lai's son, Sebastien, told Sky News the case was a "show trial" and the result was not a surprise.

"I think many people expected it. This is essentially a life sentence... a death sentence," he said.

China risks making Lai 'martyr'

Commenting on the prospect of his father being released, he added: "I'm just holding out hope. I think we are in a situation now where it is in both Hong Kong and China's best interest to release him as well.

"This is very damaging for their reputation. If my father dies, he becomes a martyr."

Mr Lai's lawyer gave no comment when asked if he would appeal his sentence.

On Sunday, the Hong Kong court said that Mr Lai's sentence was in the most severe penalty "band" for offences of a "grave nature", and that it was enhanced by his being the "mastermind" and driving force behind foreign collusion conspiracies.

Mr Lai, who founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was arrested in August 2020 after China imposed a national security law following massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

Lia's health 'exaggerated', say police

The long-standing critic of ⁠the Chinese Communist Party had previously been sentenced for several lesser offences during his five years in prison.

Mr Lai has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement. His family say his health has worsened as a result and that he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.

‌The head of Hong ​Kong police's National Security Department ⁠said on Monday, however, that claims of ‌his frail health are "exaggerated".

Speaking after the verdict, Sky's Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith said she spoke to Mr Lai's biographer Mark Clifford last month.

"He's really the embodiment of what they fear," she cites the author and close friend of the jailed tycoon as saying.

"A principled person, absolutely refusing to back down, smart, articulate, and crucially with a platform."

Lai's plight has been criticised by world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and UK ‍Prime Minister Sir Keir
Starmer.

Sir Keir discussed the case with ‌Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, according to people briefed on the talks.

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Several Western diplomats told the Reuters news agency that negotiations to free Mr Lai would likely start in earnest after his sentencing, and depending on whether he appeals.

EU calls for Jimmy Lai's immediate release

There has been widespread criticism of the jail term. The EU's diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS), said it "deplores the heavy prison sentence" and called for Mr Lai's "immediate and unconditional release".

Elaine Pearson, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, added that the prison term was "effectively a death sentence" and was "both cruel and profoundly ⁠unjust".

Speaking to Reuters, a former Apple Daily reporter who gave his name as Wong, said that "now that 'red lines' have formally become part of the judgments and sentences, the news industry - already severely weakened - will shrink even further".

(c) Sky News 2026: UK foreign secretary says pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai's Hong Kong jail