MEDIA TYCOON JIMMY LAI HANDED 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN HONG KONG . (PHOTO).

 Media tycoon Jimmy Lai handed 20-year prison sentence in Hong Kong 

 China critic and media mogul Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for national security offenses, a term his son Sebastien described as “heartbreaking.”

Lai, 78, was found guilty of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, charges he has long denied. The sentence is the harshest imposed under Hong Kong’s national security law, enacted in 2020 as part of Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Lai’s family has expressed concern for his health and safety, citing his advanced age and the severity of the prison term.

Court proceedings on Monday were tense and tightly controlled, with a heavy police presence outside the Hong Kong courtroom limiting access for media and supporters. Lai’s wife, Teresa, was seen leaving the court visibly emotional, while Lai remained expressionless as the sentence was read.

A U.K. citizen, Lai’s family hopes his sentence may prompt China to consider releasing him as a diplomatic gesture to the U.K. and the U.S., particularly with President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in April. “Even though it was expected, it’s still quite a hard reality to have to deal with,” Sebastien Lai said. He added that his father’s activism in defense of freedom has come at great personal cost, calling him “a hero being tortured and sentenced to life in prison.”

Lai’s case has drawn international attention. The U.K. government has urged Hong Kong to release him on humanitarian grounds, while U.S. officials have raised the matter with Chinese authorities. Human rights organizations have condemned the sentence, with Human Rights Watch calling it “effectively a death sentence” and Amnesty International describing it as “another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear.”

Hong Kong and Beijing officials, however, defended the sentence. Chief Executive John Lee said Lai “deserved” the 20-year term for his “evil deeds,” and China’s foreign ministry described the punishment as “legitimate and reasonable.”