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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amy Hawkins

Hong Kong’s once-vibrant press stays silent or celebrates Jimmy Lai’s 20-year jail sentence

Hong Kong newspapers on a stand including the South China Morning Post.
Local media such as the South China Morning Post, owned by Alibaba, ran an editorial saying Lai’s sentence reflected ‘the gravity of his crimes’. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Hong Kong’s once-vibrant media outlets have responded with silence or celebration to the 20-year jail sentence handed down to Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media tycoon and critic of the Chinese Communist party.

Lai, 78, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sedition and colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law. The charges were widely seen as being politically motivated and designed to silence one of Hong Kong’s most influential pro-democracy campaigners.

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