On 9 February, the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) handed down its sentence on Jimmy Lai, imposing a total of 20 years of imprisonment for offences including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. The sentence fully demonstrates the firm resolve and strong will of the HKSAR in punishing crimes endangering national security in accordance with the law. As stated by Chief Executive John Lee, Jimmy Lai has committed heinous crimes and is thoroughly evil. This heavy sentence upholds the rule of law, delivers justice, and is widely welcomed. The Hong Kong Federation of Journalists (HKFJ) expresses its firm support for the judgment.
It is utterly disgraceful that some Western media and so-called journalist organisations, turning a blind eye to their own countries' stringent national security laws and Jimmy Lai's grave criminal facts, wantonly slander the rule of law and freedoms in Hong Kong and grossly interfere in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong's judicial affairs. This fully exposes their hypocritical double standards and malicious intent to meddle in other countries' internal affairs.
The people of Hong Kong will not forget that the anti-China, destabilising forces led by Jimmy Lai have long manipulated public opinion tools to fabricate and spread rumours, provoke confrontation, incite hatred, whitewash violence, and provide financial support to anti-China, destabilising elements and "Hong Kong independence" forces, crossing the bottom line of national sovereignty and security. After 156 days of trial and an 855-page detailed judgment, the court presented irrefutable evidence and testimony, fully proving that his crimes are extremely serious and that the punishment is well-deserved.
In fact, the Jimmy Lai case has nothing to do with press freedom. Hong Kong residents exercise various rights and enjoy all kinds of freedoms in accordance with the law, including the freedoms of speech, press and publication. Over the five years since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, cases of crimes endangering national security prosecuted account for less than 0.2% of all criminal cases. There are currently more than 200 local, mainland and overseas media organisations registered with the HKSAR Government's Information Services Department, and the number of overseas media outlets operating in Hong Kong has been on the rise. This fully proves that rumours such as "the Hong Kong National Security Law undermines human rights and press freedom" and "criminalisation of speech" collapse in the face of facts.
The HKFJ urges relevant organisations to immediately stop their unwarranted attacks on the rule of law and press freedom in Hong Kong. Any act of interfering in the internal affairs of the HKSAR under the pretext of "press freedom" is doomed to failure. The HKFJ firmly supports the HKSAR Government in continuing to punish all acts that undermine national security in accordance with the law, and in driving Hong Kong to accelerate progress from stability to prosperity.
The Hong Kong Federation of Journalists
10 February 2026
