GENEVA - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplored the 20-year jail sentence handed down today against Jimmy Lai - the founder of the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily - on charges brought under the national security legislation in effect in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China.
On 15 December 2025, Lai, now 78 years old, was found guilty by the High Court of HKSAR of conspiracy to publish seditious material under the Crimes Ordinance and two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the National Security Law (NSL). He has denied all charges. The court decisions are subject to appeal.
The UN Human Rights Office has reviewed the verdict against Lai and is concerned that it criminalises the exercise of protected freedom of expression, including media freedoms, and association, drawing extensively on conduct that predates the NSL.
Additionally, the Office has previously expressed concern that the broad scope of "collusion with external forces" under the NSL, including through conspiracy charges, risks capturing legitimate activities of civil society organizations and journalists, including engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
"Jimmy Lai is a publisher sentenced to 20 years in prison for exercising rights protected under international law," the High Commissioner said. "This outcome highlights how the vague and overly broad provisions of Hong Kong's national security legislation can lead to being interpreted and enforced in violation of Hong Kong's international human rights obligations. This verdict needs to be promptly quashed as incompatible with international law."
"I appeal for Jimmy Lai's immediate release on humanitarian grounds, given his advanced age, health, and the impact of the more than four years he has already spent in detention."
The UN Human Rights Office is concerned that the judgment also treated engagement by others with the United Nations and UN human rights mechanisms as relevant context in reaching its conclusion of guilt.
With the introduction of the NSL in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in 2024, press freedom has sharply deteriorated in Hong Kong. Many independent media outlets have closed, dozens of journalists have been arrested, and foreign reporters subjected to tightened visa policies and accreditation requirements.
"This is part of a broader repressive trend in Hong Kong, where hundreds have been arrested and prosecuted under these laws," the High Commissioner said.
Alongside Lai, six other former Apple Daily staff, an activist and a paralegal were also sentenced on Monday to between six and 10 years in jail on charges brought under the security legislation.
From 2020 to 2026, at least 385 individuals have been arrested and 175 convicted under national security-related offences, according to media reports citing official sources.
The High Commissioner called, again, for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained under these laws and for their repeal or amendment in line with international standards. He underscored his readiness to engage constructively with the Hong Kong authorities, with a view to bringing the legislative framework into conformity with international law, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which remains applicable in Hong Kong SAR.
