Китайски Присъда (Kitayski Prisuda)

The 78-year-old media tycoon Jimmy Lai, sentenced to 20 years in prison, marks a significant escalation in Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s freedoms following the 2020 imposition of the national security law. The lengthy sentence, unprecedented under the law, has ignited international condemnation and spurred calls for his release from Western leaders including Donald Trump, who is expected to raise the case during upcoming meetings with Xi Jinping. Lai’s prosecution, centered around accusations of sedition and collusion with foreign forces, stemmed from his outspoken criticism of Beijing and his role in founding the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The case has been widely viewed as a suppression of press freedom and a chilling effect on dissent, with critics arguing that Beijing is attempting to erase Hong Kong’s last vestiges of autonomy. The sentencing has further strained relations between China and the West, and could become a key point of negotiation between the US and China.