The distressing news of Jimmy Lai’s latest sentence is of grave concern to PEN and the many organisations and individuals who have been advocating for his freedom. We remain in solidarity with Jimmy and his family and call on the UK to act urgently and decisively to secure his release.
Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN
Sentencing Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison is an act of profound cruelty. It is a punishment intended not only to silence one man, but to extinguish independent journalism from Hong Kong. Given Jimmy Lai’s age, years of solitary confinement, and rapidly deteriorating health, this sentence risks becoming a life sentence.
Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International
PEN International and English PEN strongly condemn the sentencing of writer, media publisher, and activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years’ imprisonment under Hong Kong’s National Security Law (NSL). Imposed on a 78-year-old British citizen who has already endured more than five years in prolonged solitary confinement, this draconian punishment will likely ensure that he never regains his freedom. It represents a grave miscarriage of justice and a watershed moment in the dismantling of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was sentenced on 9 February 2026 following his conviction in December 2025 on two counts of ‘conspiracy to collude with foreign forces’ under the NSL and one count of ‘conspiracy to produce seditious publications’ under Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law. The penalty is the harshest sentence yet handed down in a national security case in Hong Kong. Six former Apple Daily staff members were also sentenced, receiving prison terms ranging from six years and nine months to ten years.
Lai has been continuously detained since December 2020 and has now spent nearly 1,900 days in prison. Throughout this time, his family and legal team have repeatedly sounded the alarm about his declining health, including severe weight loss, dental decay, and increasing physical frailty. In September 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Lai’s detention was arbitrary under international law and called for his immediate release.
The conditions of Lai’s detention raise profound human rights concerns. Prolonged solitary confinement, particularly when imposed on an elderly detainee, is widely recognised as a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Despite sustained international appeals, the Hong Kong authorities have shown little regard for Lai’s health, dignity, or fundamental rights. The decision to impose a 20-year sentence in these circumstances is not only punitive; it is vindictive.
Jimmy Lai’s case cannot be viewed in isolation. It is emblematic of the systematic erosion of freedom of expression in Hong Kong since the imposition of the National Security Law in June 2020. Once a global centre for independent media and open debate, Hong Kong has been transformed into a jurisdiction where writers and journalists face criminal prosecution for their work. Apple Daily, once the territory’s most influential pro-democracy newspaper, was forced to close in June 2021 after its leadership was targeted and arrested.
The broader chilling effect of the NSL is now impossible to deny. Independent media outlets and bookshops have been shuttered. Politically sensitive books have been removed from libraries. Self-censorship has taken hold across the media and publishing sectors. And closed-door trials, vaguely defined offences, and judges handpicked by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive to hear national security cases have hollowed out the legal safeguards that once distinguished Hong Kong’s legal system.
Jimmy Lai’s continued imprisonment demands decisive action from the UK government. PEN International and English PEN call on the UK, together with other governments committed to defending freedom of expression, to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure his release. Expressions of concern are no longer sufficient. Time is running out.
Jimmy Lai is not only a publisher and activist, but also a writer and a lifelong advocate for freedom of expression. He is the author of more than 20 books and the recipient of PEN Canada’s One Humanity Award in recognition of his courage and principled commitment to free expression. His continued imprisonment represents a profound injustice to one individual, and a devastating blow to the future of free expression in Hong Kong.
PEN International and English PEN are in solidarity with Jimmy Lai, his family, and all those in Hong Kong who continue to speak out under immense pressure. We reiterate our call for Jimmy Lai’s immediate and unconditional release, and for an end to the use of national security laws as instruments to silence writing, journalism, and peaceful dissent.