Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, who holds British citizenship, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with foreign powers. This ruling, issued under the city's national security law, marks the toughest penalty ever handed down under that legislation. While Lai's family and various human rights organizations denounced the prison term, Hong Kong’s leader described the result as highly satisfying. Local authorities added that the verdict proves the city's legal system is working properly.

Lai, the former owner of the newspaper Apple Daily and a known critic of the Chinese government, pleaded not guilty. He maintained that his actions were simply meant to defend Hong Kong's core values. On the same day, several other former executives from Apple Daily and various activists also received sentences under the same security law.