The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Monday morning sentenced Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, to 20 years in prison, Xinhua News Agency reported.

File photo of Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong. (Photo: VCG)

Lai was found guilty in December by the High Court of the HKSAR on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. Mitigation hearing for Lai's case began on January 12 and concluded on January 13, Xinhua said.

The defendants in the national security case include Lai, Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, and Apple Daily Internet Limited, all facing charges of conspiracy to publish seditious materials and conspiracy to collude with external forces. Lai was also facing a separate charge of conspiring to collude with external forces, per Xinhua.

The trial officially commenced on December 18, 2023, and has been presided over by three judges appointed under the national security law in Hong Kong, according to Xinhua.

The court ruled that Lai was the mastermind and driving force behind the various conspiracies, and therefore raised the starting point for sentencing, local media Sing Tao Daily said.

Taking into account Lai's advanced age, health condition, and factors such as solitary confinement, the three judges accepted that his prison life would be more arduous than that of other inmates. On this basis, they exercised discretion to reduce the sentence. After considering the overall gravity of the offenses, the court imposed a combined total sentence of 20 years imprisonment, the local media report said.

Lai's 20-year prison sentence is an inevitable outcome of Hong Kong’s judicial system safeguarding national security and the dignity of the rule of law. It demonstrates a firm stance that any act endangering national interests will be met with severe punishment under the law, a local legal expert said on Monday.

"Lai's crimes have long been irrefutable in the face of overwhelming evidence. For years, he colluded with external forces, pleaded for foreign countries to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong, and openly challenged the fundamental principle of 'One Country, Two Systems.' He also exploited media under his control to recklessly spread seditious rhetoric, fuel social confrontation, and glorify violence, bearing inescapable responsibility for the social turmoil Hong Kong experienced in 2019. This verdict is not only a lawful punishment of Lai as an individual, but also a powerful deterrent to all anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, completely shattering the illusion that such actors can evade legal accountability," Louis Chen, member of the Hong Kong Election Committee, told the Global Times.

Lai's case underscores the fairness and impartiality of the rule of law in Hong Kong and shows that no one is above the law, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times on Monday.

"In the past, many believed that Lai wielded enormous influence in Hong Kong and, emboldened by backing from external forces, was beyond the reach of legal action," Lau said.

The ability of judges and prosecutors to withstand pressure from the United States and Western countries, and to carry out judicial and law-enforcement duties without fear or favor, will also enhance Hong Kong's resolve and capacity to uphold the rule of law on the international stage, thereby boosting its international image and attractiveness as an investment destination, Lau noted.