Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai decides against appealing 20-year sentence
This ends a marathon legal battle that has become a source of friction in China’s relations with the West
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[HONG KONG] Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has decided not to appeal his 20-year prison sentence, a move that may cement his fate behind bars for what could be the remainder of his life.
Robert Pang, a member of the pro-democracy activist’s legal team in Hong Kong, confirmed the decision weeks after the city’s High Court delivered the landmark ruling under Beijing’s 2020 National Security Law.
On Friday (Mar 6), Pang said that he received “clear and definitive instructions” not to lodge an appeal against the conviction or sentence.
The 78-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily was sentenced in February after being found guilty of collusion and sedition.
Three government-picked judges labelled him the “mastermind” of a conspiracy to lobby foreign powers for sanctions against China and the former British colony.
Given his advanced age, Lai’s supporters view the term as an effective life sentence.
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The decision to forgo an appeal ends a marathon legal battle that has become a source of friction in China’s relations with the West. The US and UK are among the countries that have called for his release on humanitarian grounds, labelling the proceedings against him as politically motivated.
Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong have long decried any attempts to interfere in the case and maintained that he was given a fair trial.
The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to a request for comments on his decision and the calls for his freedom.
His family and supporters have ramped up campaigning for his release, and some are looking to US President Donald Trump to push China to free the outspoken tycoon.
Trump, who had previously vowed to “save” Lai, appealed for his release to Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met in South Korea in October. He will meet Xi again when he travels to China from Mar 31 to Apr 2.
Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, said in February that Trump’s upcoming visit to China could be “crucial” in securing the release of his father. His daughter, Claire Lai, attended his State of the Union address as a guest of House Speaker Mike Johnson that same month.
The 20-year sentence is the heaviest penalty yet meted out under Beijing’s 2020 National Security Law, sealing China’s years-long effort to silence its most defiant and influential critic in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. BLOOMBERG
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