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Hong Kong Mogul Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail
AFP / STR
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in jail at the age of 78.
Lai is the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid newspaper Apple Daily.
Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail
According to a report by ABC News, Lai has always been critical of the Hong Kong and China governments, particularly China’s tightening on the freedoms once enjoyed by the citizens of Hong Kong.
Lai was arrested in 2020 and has since been found guilty of using his newspaper to produce seditious materials against both Hong Kong and China.
He has also been found guilty of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, which violates Hong Kong’s national security law.
Jimmy Lai’s Children React to Father’s Sentence
Jimmy Lai’s children have reacted to the sentence received by their father. As CNN notes in its report, Lai will note be eligible for parole until he reaches his 90s.
His son Sebastien has described the sentence as “life-threatening” for his father. His daughter Claire went on to describe what her father has gone through.
“I have watched my father’s health deteriorate dramatically and the conditions he’s kept in go from bad to worse,” she said. “If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars.”