A Hong Kong court has sentenced pro-democracy media entrepreneur Jimmy Lak to 20 years in prison for violating Beijing’s national security law, a verdict that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison.

The court’s summary judgment, released on Monday, said Lai’s sentence will run consecutively with the five-year sentence he received in his previous fraud case. According to the court’s order, 18 years of Lai’s sentence will run consecutively with the five-year sentence he received in his previous fraud case.

Jimmy Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, has already spent more than five years in prison. He was convicted in December of two counts of conspiring with a foreign power and one count of provocative publications.

Human rights groups have expressed concern that the sentence could effectively be a life sentence due to Lai’s age and physical condition. He suffers from multiple physical complications, including heart problems and high blood pressure.

Before the sentencing, Western countries and human rights groups called for Lai’s release. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called Lai’s trial “a farce from the start” in a statement. Reporters Without Borders said the verdict sends a stark message about the future of the media in Hong Kong.

After the verdict was announced, Lee appeared serious as he left the courtroom. Many in the audience gallery broke down in tears.

Jimmy Lai was also sentenced to prison along with six former senior journalists from Apple Daily, a human rights activist and a paralegal. The co-defendants received sentences ranging from six years and three months to a maximum of 10 years. The convicted journalists include publisher Chung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor Ryan Law, executive editor Lam Man-chung, English news editor Fang Wai-kong and editorial writer Yang Ching-ki.

The Chinese government has dismissed international criticism of the case as an attempt to tarnish Hong Kong’s judicial system, saying the Jimmy Lai case has nothing to do with freedom of expression or the press.

Jimmy Lai was one of the first high-profile figures to be arrested under the national security law imposed in 2020. Within a year, several top journalists from Apple Daily were arrested. The newspaper was shut down in June 2021 due to police raids, lawsuits, and asset seizures. The last issue sold one million copies.

The UK and the US have expressed concern over Lai’s sentence. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing last month. Jimmy Lai is a British citizen.

US President Donald Trump also expressed concern after the verdict, saying he had asked Xi Jinping to consider Lai’s release.

Meanwhile, the media situation in Hong Kong is getting worse. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that journalists are facing systematic harassment, personal information leaks and death threats. According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 900 journalists have lost their jobs in the four years since the national security law came into effect. Source: Al Jazeera.