“Reasonable, legitimate and legal” for Beijing, “cold-blooded attack on freedom of expression” according to Amnesty International... Here are the main reactions around the world after the sentencing of former press magnate and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison by a Hong Kong court.

Published on: 02/09/2026 - 11:37

The sentence to 20 years in prison on Monday February 9 in Hong Kong of former press magnate and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai provoked numerous reactions around the world.

EU and UN demand 'immediate release' of Jimmy Lai

The European Union has called for the "immediate release" of Jimmy Lai. “The politically motivated prosecutions brought against Jimmy Lai and the former executives and journalists of the daily newspaper Apple Daily damage the reputation of Hong Kong,” denounced a spokesperson, Anitta Hipper.

For her part, British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper affirmed that the United Kingdom, of which Jimmy Lai is a national, wanted to “intervene more and without delay”.

“We stand with the people of Hong Kong,” added Yvette Cooper, whose country returned the territory to China in 1997 with guarantees regarding civil rights.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, for his part, called for the annulment of Jimmy Lai's conviction.

This verdict "illustrates how the vague and overly broad provisions of Hong Kong's national security law can be interpreted and applied in violation of Hong Kong's international human rights obligations," Volker Türk commented in a statement.

It “must be quickly annulled because it is incompatible with international law,” he added.

In addition, the high commissioner "requests the immediate release of Jimmy Lai on humanitarian grounds, taking into account his advanced age, his state of health and the impact of the more than four years he has already spent in detention."

Satisfied by Hong Kong and Beijing

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the conviction of the former media mogul was “deeply satisfactory”.

"Jimmy Lai's crimes are heinous and extremely serious. His harsh 20-year prison sentence demonstrates the strength of the rule of law, upholds justice and is deeply satisfying," he said in a statement.

Hong Kong's judicial bodies "exercise their functions in accordance with the law (...). This is reasonable, legitimate and legal and there is no need to discuss", said a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, during a regular press briefing.

He urged "to refrain from interfering in any form in Hong Kong's justice system or China's internal affairs."

For Taiwan, China wants to “create fear”

With this ruling, China and Hong Kong "have included media influence and international connections in the field of national security, with the aim of creating fear across sectors and borders", indicates a press release from the Taiwanese Council of Mainland Affairs, the ministry responsible for relations with Beijing.

The family denounces a “cruel” sentence

“Sentencing my father to this draconian prison sentence is devastating for our family and puts his life in danger. It marks the total destruction of the Hong Kong justice system,” said Sebastien Lai, his son.

To (re)readIn Hong Kong, who are the pro-democracy figures convicted of “subversion”?

His daughter Claire, for her part, regretted a “cruel” sentence given her declining health in prison. If Jimmy Lai purges it, then "he will die a martyr behind bars", she judged.

“The curtain falls on press freedom”

Fundamental rights organizations have also expressed their dismay. “The prison sentence handed down to Jimmy Lai is a cold-blooded attack on freedom of expression, which perfectly illustrates the systematic dismantling of rights that once characterized Hong Kong,” Amnesty International wrote in a statement.

“The heavy sentence of 20 years in prison imposed on Jimmy Lai, aged 78, is, in fact, equivalent to a death sentence,” Human Rights Watch said.

The organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the court decision showed "the total collapse of press freedom" in Hong Kong. "Today, the curtain falls on press freedom in Hong Kong. We are outraged by the heavy sentences inflicted on Jimmy Lai and the executives of Apple Daily", the now closed pro-democracy newspaper of which Jimmy Lai was the founder, reacted Thibaut Bruttin, the general director of the organization, quoted in the press release.

With AFP

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.