Event Summary
On 9 February 2026, Hong Kong Court of First Instance sentenced Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai to 20 years imprisonment for two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of sedition: the harshest punishment under National Security Law. Six former Apple Daily executives received sentences ranging from 6 years 9 months to 10 years: publisher Cheung Kim-hung 6 years 9 months, associate publisher Chan Pui-man 7 years, editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee 7 years 3 months, while editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, and editorial writer Fung Wai-kong each received 10 years. Two activists from Stand with Hong Kong, Wayland Chan and Andy Li, received 6 years 3 months and 7 years 3 months respectively. Eighteen years of Lai’s sentence will be served additionally to his existing 5 years 9 months fraud sentence. Judges condemned Lai’s “serious and grave criminal conduct,” stating conspiracies were “most serious” category.
Lai, 78-year-old British citizen, appeared calm when his sentence was announced, while supporters sobbed. He has been detained since December 2020: over five years. This follows the 15 December 2025 conviction based on meeting US Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during 2019 protests. In 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined Lai’s detention since 2020 was “unlawful and arbitrary,” concluding he was detained for exercising freedom of expression, should not be prosecuted, and remedies should include immediate release and compensation. Multiple UN human rights experts repeatedly called for release. Rights groups called sentence “death sentence” for 78-year-old with health concerns. Lai’s son Sebastien stated sentence “signifies total destruction of Hong Kong legal system and end of justice.”