Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong. Reporters Without Borders said: “Today, the curtain falls on press freedom in Hong Kong ... A van from the Hong Kong correctional services arrives to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong, China. The movement was crushed in June 2020 by the imposition of a harsh national security law which criminalised most forms of dissent. Lai said he never called for sanctions after the national security law had taken effect, as “it would be suicidal to do so”.

Source: The Irish Times February 09, 2026 10:17 UTC