In a landmark ruling that concludes a protracted legal proceeding, Hong Kong’s judiciary has sentenced former media proprietor Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to two decades of imprisonment under the Special Administrative Region’s National Security legislation. The 78-year-old founder of the defunct Apple Daily publication received his sentence on February 9, 2026, from a three-judge national security panel at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building.
The judicial panel, comprising Judges Esther Toh Lye-ping, Susana Maria D’Almada Remedios, and Alex Lee Wan-tang, delivered their verdict following Lai’s December conviction on three distinct charges. The court found Lai guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with external forces and one count of conspiracy to disseminate seditious content through his media operations.
In their comprehensive 47-page judgment, the magistrates emphasized that “the legislative intent mandates that endangering national security through foreign engagement constitutes an offense of grave seriousness, warranting substantial penalty.” The court established a sentencing baseline of 15 years imprisonment for each foreign collusion charge and 21 months for the seditious publications offense.
The judiciary addressed several mitigation factors presented by Lai’s defense team, including his advanced age and health conditions. The court documented that Lai had received appropriate medical attention during detention and declined to reduce his sentence on medical grounds, noting such considerations are uncommon for severe national security offenses. Regarding Lai’s solitary confinement arrangement, the bench clarified this was implemented at the defendant’s own request due to concerns about potential harassment from other inmates.
After evaluating all circumstances, the court applied modest reductions—trimming one month from the sedition sentence and one year from each foreign collusion charge. The judges further ruled that 18 years of Lai’s 20-year term will run consecutively with his previous five-year, nine-month fraud sentence from December 2022, noting the completely separate nature of that financial crime.
Concurrent with Lai’s sentencing, three corporations associated with his media empire—Apple Daily, Apple Daily Printing, and Apple Daily Internet—each received fines of HK$3,004,500 (approximately $384,275). Eight co-defendants, including core members of ‘Stand with Hong Kong’ and former Next Digital employees who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, received prison terms ranging from six years three months to ten years.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu issued a statement characterizing Lai’s actions as “heinous crimes” met with appropriate justice. Lee asserted that the conviction, supported by substantial evidence, demonstrates Lai’s role as the mastermind behind systematic anti-China activities, describing his conduct as “despicable and shameless.” The HKSAR administration maintains that this ruling reinforces the rule of law and delivers societal justice.