On February 9, writer and publisher Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty under Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law (NSL).
Prior to sentencing, Jimmy Lai had spent years in solitary confinement under cruel and degrading conditions. Now, at 78 years old and in rapidly deteriorating health, he has effectively received a life sentence.
This National Security Law (NSL) has been criticised as being designed to stifle dissent and freedom of expression. The chilling effect of the NSL cannot be viewed in isolation. It is a product of the steady erosion of media freedom by the Chinese government as it continues to encroach on Hong Kong’s autonomy.
PEN has campaigned for his release since his arrest in 2020 and has supported his son, Sebastien Lai, in addressing the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention about his case.
‘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
Dominic Anderton
Image Studio Incendo (CC 2.0 AC)