What Jimmy Lai's 20-Year Sentence Means for Hong Kong

Prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating Hong Kong's National Security Law. Lai is currently 78 years old. For the Xi Jinping administration, harshly punishing Lai was an indispensable final step in the sinicization of Hong Kong. The verdict symbolizes the completion of Hong Kong's transformation into a fully Chinese city.

On June 30, 2020, the Xi administration imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong, bypassing the local government, to suppress the pro-democracy movement. Its enactment marked the collapse of "One Country, Two Systems," which had guaranteed the city a high degree of autonomy.

A Primary Target

There is little doubt that one of the law's primary targets was Lai, whom Beijing viewed as a mastermind behind the democracy movement. In August 2020, he became the first person arrested on suspicion of violating the National Security Law.

Next came the crackdown on Apple Daily, the local newspaper founded by Lai. Accused of violating the law, the paper was forced to cease publication in June 2021. It was the only Hong Kong newspaper to openly and consistently criticize Beijing. The shutdown of Apple Daily sent a powerful message that freedom of speech and the press in Hong Kong had been extinguished.

In the five and a half years since the law took effect, more than 380 pro-democracy figures have been arrested under its provisions. John Lee, a former police officer, assumed the post of chief executive in 2022. The Legislative Council was once dominated by the Democratic Party, which dissolved in December 2025. It is now composed entirely of pro-Beijing lawmakers.

*A vehicle believed to be carrying Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai leaves the courthouse, Hong Kong, February 9. (©Kyodo)*

'A Dark Day for Justice'

In Lai's case, the judiciary fully accepted the government's claims and delivered the verdict Beijing had sought. Lai's third son, Sebastien Lai, said on February 9, "Hong Kong's legal system has completely collapsed. This is a dark day for justice."

Yet even if the top-down process of sinicization has been completed, it does not mean the public has accepted it. Some Hong Kong residents continue to sell books critical of Beijing or engage in acts of civil disobedience, such as boycotting elections.

When Apple Daily was launched in 1995, Jimmy Lai himself took up the pen and wrote in an editorial: "Hong Kong people are born with a passionate desire for freedom. We believe that Hong Kong people, who are accustomed to freedom, will not submit to unjust restrictions or unfair treatment."

These words can now be read as Lai's prayer from behind bars.

The severe sentence imposed on Lai, who devoted his life to Hong Kong's freedom and its pro-democracy movement, signals the beginning of full-fledged Chinese rule.

As darkness closes in on the city's freedom, the light remains out of sight.