Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in one of the most prominent cases prosecuted under a China-imposed national security law.

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent.

His co-defendants, six former employees of his Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms of between 6 years and 3 months, and 10 years on collusion-related charges.

  • Riddick3001@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    10·
    16 days ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong: The 1984 Sino–British Joint Declaration set the terms of the 1997 handover, under which China pledged to uphold “one country, two systems” for 50 years.

    Hong Kong became China’s first special administrative region, followed by Macau in 1999 under similar arrangements. With a population of about 6.5 million in 1997, Hong Kong made up 97 percent of the population of all the British Dependent Territories and was Britain’s last major colony.

    Influence from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-led central government in Hong Kong expanded significantly during the 2020s, roughly two decades after the handover. The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests prompted the introduction of the 2020 Hong Kong national security law and the 2021 Hong Kong electoral change