Jimmy Lai Got What He Deserved, Demonstrating the Spirit of Rule of Law in Hong Kong
9 Feb 2026
The Court of First Instance of the High Court today sentenced the defendants in the Jimmy Lai case. Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from 6 years and 3 months to 10 years. The trial in this case lasted 156 days. The facts of the crimes committed by each defendant are clear, the evidence is conclusive, and the process was fair, just, and open, fully demonstrating the spirit of rule of law and judicial independence in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Coalition firmly supports the court’s fair, impartial, and strict sentencing in accordance with the law.
The court ruled that Jimmy Lai was the “mastermind behind the scenes” and “promoter” of various conspiracies, fully proving that Jimmy Lai is the primary figure in conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious publications, acting as an anti-China and destabilizing force in Hong Kong. His long-term role as an agent and pawn for anti-China forces has seriously endangered national sovereignty and security. The court’s severe sentencing is not only a lawful punishment for the illegal and criminal acts of the defendants in the Jimmy Lai case, but also sends a clear and stern warning to any forces attempting to challenge national sovereignty and endanger Hong Kong’s security and stability.
Some politicians in the US and the West deliberately glorify Jimmy Lai’s criminal acts, instead packaging him as a so-called “democratic figure,” and have repeatedly exerted pressure, even threatening to sanction Hong Kong judicial personnel. This kind of upside-down double standard constitutes a blatant interference in Hong Kong’s judicial independence and a wanton trampling on international rule of law principles. The Hong Kong Coalition strongly condemns this and firmly opposes any external forces interfering in Hong Kong affairs or disrupting judicial fairness.
The Jimmy Lai case is the first landmark case since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law to invoke the clause of “colluding with external forces to endanger national security.” Security is the prerequisite for development. Safeguarding national security is the responsibility and duty of every citizen. Only by effectively upholding national security can Hong Kong achieve high-quality development and ensure the long-term stability and success of the “One country, Two systems” principle.
［2026-02-09］
