The Hong Kong Court of First Instance today handed down sentences in the case against Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and six senior executives of the newspaper involving collusion and sedition charges. Jimmy Lai, convicted of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of sedition, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, while the six Apple Daily executives received sentences ranging from 6 years and 9 months to 10 years.
The Hong Kong Centre for Human Rights makes the following response:
“Jimmy Lai’s case was recognised by the United Nations as a case of arbitrary detention, yet he has now been handed a severe 20-year prison sentence. This decision is outrageous and unacceptable. It shows the Hong Kong authorities impose long-term imprisonment on dissenting voices using the courts.
In 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Jimmy Lai’s detention since 2020 was unlawful and arbitrary, and that he had been detained for exercising his freedom of expression. It concluded that he should not be subjected to further prosecution, and that remedies should include his immediate release and compensation. Multiple UN human rights experts have also repeatedly called for his release and warned against the use of national security laws to suppress press freedom and freedom of expression.
Despite the clear position taken by international human rights mechanisms, the Hong Kong court has imposed a lengthy prison sentence, demonstrating that national security laws in Hong Kong now override fundamental rights protections and international standards. The case also sends a clear message to society: criticising the government, engaging with the international community, or even practising journalism may be treated as national security crimes.
In this case, Jimmy Lai was prosecuted alongside six senior Apple Daily figures, including Cheung Kim-hung and Chan Pui-man, and was held in prolonged pre-trial detention. Detention without conviction in itself constitutes a serious infringement of personal liberty and the right to a fair trial. During the pre-trial period, the authorities also obstructed Jimmy Lai’s ability to engage his preferred legal representatives on various grounds.
This case reflects a significant deterioration in Hong Kong’s rule-of-law environment, with direct consequences for press freedom and fundamental rights. When national security cases are treated as an exceptional domain not bound by international human rights standards, Hong Kong will struggle to maintain its former standing in global rule-of-law assessments.
The Hong Kong Government and Chief Justice Andrew Cheung have repeatedly stressed that the case was handled ‘in accordance with the law’ and have characterised international human rights concerns as politically motivated. The authorities have even warned that such commentary could amount to contempt of court. However, Jimmy Lai’s case has already been recognised by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention as a case of arbitrary detention. The Working Group’s opinion was a legal determination based on international human rights law and the facts of the case, not a political stance.
When a case is portrayed by local authorities and judges as a demonstration of the rule of law, yet is identified by UN human rights mechanisms as a typical example of rights violations, such a stark discrepancy will undermine international confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial system. It will also weaken the rule-of-law foundations on which Hong Kong’s status as an international legal and financial centre depends.
The Centre reiterates that the Hong Kong Government’s abuse of national security laws has effectively strangled press freedom and the space for exercising core rights, damaging the freedoms of the entire society and inflicting deep and comprehensive harm on Hong Kong.”
The Hong Kong Centre for Human Rights calls on the Hong Kong Government to:
1. Immediately release Jimmy Lai and end the imprisonment of the six Apple Daily executives and all others involved in the case;
2. Cease using national security laws to suppress press freedom and freedom of expression;
3. Fulfil its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and ensure effective protection of fundamental human rights.
The Centre also calls on the international community to continue monitoring Jimmy Lai’s case and to urge the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to implement the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, immediately release Jimmy Lai, and free all those detained for exercising their fundamental human rights.