RSF condemns 20-year prison sentence imposed on Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has strongly condemned the 20-year prison sentence handed to Jimmy Lai, founder and publisher of Apple Daily, describing the ruling as a grave threat to his life and a devastating blow to press freedom.

The sentence was imposed on 9 February 2026 under Hong Kong’s National Security Law, following Lai’s conviction on charges including “collusion with foreign forces” and conspiring to publish “seditious” material. RSF said the accusations were spurious and politically motivated.

According to RSF, the 78-year-old British citizen’s rapidly deteriorating health means the sentence effectively amounts to a death sentence. Lai has been held in detention for more than five years under what the organisation described as shocking conditions.

Prosecutors cited more than 160 articles published by Apple Daily as evidence of “seditious publications”. The newspaper, once Hong Kong’s largest mainstream independent daily, was forced to close by authorities in June 2021.

Lai’s guilty verdict was delivered on 15 December 2025, but sentencing was delayed by two months. RSF said the prolonged legal process compounded the physical and psychological toll on the publisher.

The trial also involved six former senior Apple Daily staff members, all of whom received lengthy prison sentences. Former chief executive Cheung Kim-hung was sentenced to six years and nine months.

Chief editor Ryan Law Wai-kwong and executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung each received 10-year prison terms. Associate publisher Chan Pui-man was sentenced to seven years.

Managing editor of the English edition Fung Wai-kong received 10 years, while lead editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee was sentenced to seven years and three months.

Two additional co-accused were also sentenced. Pro-democracy activist Chan Tsz-wah received six years and three months, while activist Andy Li was sentenced to seven years and three months.

RSF said Andy Li is believed to be forcibly held in a high-security psychiatric institution in Hong Kong, raising further concerns about the treatment of detainees under national security prosecutions.

In a statement, RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin said the verdict marked the end of press freedom in the territory.

“Today, the curtain falls on press freedom in Hong Kong,” Bruttin said. He described the sentencing as evidence of the authorities’ “profound contempt for independent journalism”.

RSF said the entire legal process, from Lai’s arrest through his trial and conviction, amounted to a sham designed to silence dissenting media voices.

The organisation urged democratic governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, to exert pressure rather than normalise relations with China.

Bruttin warned that insufficient international pressure in past cases had resulted in fatal consequences, citing the death in custody of Liu Xiaobo. He said Jimmy Lai must not be allowed to suffer a similar fate.

Lai has been detained since December 2020 and has spent extended periods in solitary confinement. RSF said he is allowed only 50 minutes of exercise per day, reportedly in a metal cage.

According to statements from his family, Lai has suffered severe weight loss, lost fingernails, and experienced serious dental deterioration during his detention. RSF said these conditions had led to a significant decline in his overall health.

Lai is a laureate of the RSF Press Freedom Award and has long been regarded internationally as a symbol of independent journalism in Hong Kong.

RSF said it has campaigned continuously for the release of Lai and other Apple Daily staff since his arrest. In 2023, RSF representatives travelled to attend the opening of Lai’s trial.

In 2024, an RSF representative was detained and deported from Hong Kong while attempting to attend a court hearing related to the case, according to the organisation.

In January 2026, RSF wrote to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to raise Lai’s case during his visit to China. RSF also highlighted Lai’s declining health in correspondence sent in August 2025.

In June 2025, RSF and a group of former Apple Daily journalists living in exile published a special revival edition of the newspaper, paying tribute to its legacy and role in Hong Kong’s media landscape.

According to RSF, at least 28 journalists have been prosecuted in Hong Kong since 2020, with eight currently detained. The organisation said these cases reflect a systematic crackdown on independent reporting.

Hong Kong Media Overseas (HKMO) has also issued a strong condemnation of the verdict, warning that the case represents a fundamental assault on press freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

In a statement, the media group said the ruling against Lai demonstrated a failure to uphold fair trial principles and revealed a serious misunderstanding of journalism and its professional practices.

HKMO said the case posed a “far-reaching and substantive threat” to the free flow of information, adding that it marked a symbolic collapse of press freedom in the city.

Hong Kong is ranked 140th in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, having fallen sharply from 18th place two decades ago. China ranks 178th out of 180 countries and territories surveyed.

RSF reiterated its call for Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release, saying only swift international action could prevent further deterioration of his health and uphold the principles of press freedom.