The United States condemned the 20-year prison sentence imposed by the Chinese regime on media businessman Jimmy Lai and argued that the ruling represents an “unjust and tragic” closure of a process that reflects the use of justice to repress fundamental freedoms in the city.The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also demanded that the authorities grant his freedom for humanitarian reasons.
“The Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison constitutes an unjust and tragic outcome of this case,” Rubio said in a statement.
For the head of American diplomacy, the sentence demonstrates that the Beijing regime is willing “to go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who defend fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.”
Washington’s statement places Lai’s case as a symbol of the deterioration of the framework of rights and freedoms that governed the special administrative region under the principle of “one country, two systems.”According to the State Department, the judicial process also exposes the abandonment of the international commitments assumed by China and the United Kingdom in the joint declaration of 1984, which established political, judicial and civil guarantees for Hong Kong after its transfer of sovereignty.
Rubio stressed that the businessman and his entourage have endured a prolonged judicial process and years of detention.
“After enduring a trial that lasted two years and more than five years of detention in prison, Lai and his family have already suffered enough. The United States urges the authorities to grant Lai freedom for humanitarian reasons,” said the Secretary of State.
Jimmy Lai, 78, was convicted on charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and for publishing content considered seditious. The court handed down the sentence almost two months after finding him guilty of crimes that, under national security legislation applied in Hong Kong, could even lead to life in prison.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, also spoke about the verdict and expressed his “sadness” at the conviction.The White House considers Lai’s case to be an example of the tightening of political and judicial control in Hong Kong since the entry into force of the National Security Law.
Washington’s statements came in parallel to a wave of international reactions.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, requested the annulment of the sentence, considering it “incompatible with international law” and maintained that the ruling “criminalizes the exercise of freedom of expression.”
According to the UN office, the case demonstrates the scope of the national security legislation approved after the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Türk also recalled the businessman’s advanced age, his state of health and the impact of more than four years of detention as factors that reinforce the need for his release for humanitarian reasons.The agency warned that crimes such as “conspiracy with foreign forces” can encompass legitimate activities of journalists and civil organizations.
In its broader assessment of the situation in Hong Kong, the United Nations noted that between 2020 and 2026 at least 385 people were arrested and 175 convicted for crimes linked to national security.The human rights office also warned about the closure of independent media, the detention of journalists and the tightening of visa and accreditation policies for the foreign press.
The European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia joined the call for Lai’s release.From Brussels it was maintained that the prosecution of the businessman and former directors and journalists of his media group was politically motivated and damaged the international reputation of Hong Kong as a financial center.
The Chinese regime responded to the chain of international criticism by defending the conviction and stating that Jimmy Lai deserves “severe punishment” for, according to its version, having seriously endangered national security.
(With information from Europa Press and AFP)
