2026-02-10
8 分钟This is The Guardian.
The Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy campaign and Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of foreign collusion and sedition.
He has long been outspoken as a critic of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong.
He had the opportunity to leave Hong Kong many times over when it was clear that the net was closing in and he chose not to.
He said, I'm a Hong Konger, I will stay here.
It's definitely by far the harshest sentence that's been given out.
At 78, 20 years, he'll be close to 100.
So basically a death sentence.
The realisation that I might never see my father again, it's a lot harder than I thought it would.
He's 78, he's lost a lot of weight, he's diabetic.
He has been kept in solitary confinement for most of the past five years.
People are saying it's tantamount to a life sentence that he may die in prison.
From the Guardians Today in Focus, this is the latest with me, Lucy Hov.
Joining me is Amy Hawkins, senior China correspondent.
Hi, Lucy.
So British citizen Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong.
Just before we get into the detail of that sentence,
remind us who he is and why his case is so significant.
Yeah, so Jimmy Lai is a 78-year-old British citizen.
What he once was one of Hong Kong's richest men.