{"id":77350,"date":"2026-04-08T06:43:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=77350"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:43:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T06:43:27","slug":"catholic-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-in-hong-kong-national-security-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/catholic-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-in-hong-kong-national-security-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic activist Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong national security trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jimmy Lai, the human rights advocate and outspoken Catholic who has faced what supporters say has been years of politicized prosecution and conviction in Hong Kong, was sentenced on Feb. 9 to 20 years in prison <\/strong>over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. <\/p>\n

The sentencing comes after Lai's December conviction<\/a> under China's wide-reaching security law, which capped a years-long legal process during which he was found guilty on multiple other charges including fraud and unlawful assembly. <\/p>\n

Lai, who was known for years as the publisher of the outspoken pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was first arrested in 2020 after alleged violations of Chinese national security policy.<\/p>\n

The government has charged him multiple times since then, holding him without bail and sentencing him to lengthy prison stretches, including a 69-month sentence in December 2022 for a fraud conviction. <\/p>\n

Lai's plight has drawn support from around the world, including from high-ranking national leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, who has advocated for Lai's release<\/a> and who reportedly spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping<\/a> about the issue in October 2025. <\/p>\n

Lai has also drawn support from lawmakers, activists, religious leaders and civil rights leaders around the world. In 2025 he was named an honorary recipient of the Bradley Prize<\/a>. That award is meant to honor individuals who in part espouse \"the ideals of the Western tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catholic faith a central part of Lai's life<\/h2>\n

Though known for his decades of pro-democracy activism, Lai is also an outspoken Catholic whose faith has continued to sustain him during his imprisonment. <\/p>\n

Having converted to Catholicism in 1997, Lai \u2014 along with his wife Teresa \u2014 raised his son Sebastien and daughter Claire in what Claire described as \"a very loving Catholic family.\" <\/p>\n

Claire told EWTN News in December 2025<\/a> that Lai's incarceration \"has just deepened his faith.\" He has regularly read the Gospel when permitted by his prison guards, she said, and he \"wants to be remembered [as] a faithful servant of Our Lord.\"<\/p>\n

In February 2024 the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., installed a drawing of the Crucifixion<\/a> made by Lai. Father Robert Sirico, the founder of the Acton Institute and a supporter and friend of Lai\u2019s, told EWTN News at the time that Lai sees his imprisonment as a way of joining in Christ\u2019s passion on the cross.<\/p>\n

In November 2023 a group of 10 Catholic bishops and archbishops called on the Hong Kong government to release Lai,<\/a> arguing that his \"persecution \u2026 has gone on long enough.\" <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no place for such cruelty and oppression in a territory that claims to uphold the rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression,\u201d the prelates said.<\/p>\n

Long known for its greater respect for civil rights and freedom of speech relative to the Chinese mainland, the special administrative region of Hong Kong in recent years has seen a crackdown from the Chinese Communist Party government, which has tightened its hold on the region including with the strict national security law. <\/p>\n

In 2022 Father Vincent Woo, a priest of the Diocese of Hong Kong, told EWTN News<\/a> that religious leaders in the region face \"tremendous consequences\" if they criticize the government, with many priests or bishops consequently refusing to speak out publicly against the Communist Party. <\/p>\n

At a 2025 hearing of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, advocates warned of \"severe violations of religious freedom<\/a>\" by the Chinese Communist Party, with the government having reportedly \u201cforcibly eradicated religious elements that are not in line with the CCP\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire Lai admitted in January<\/a> that her father's \"physical body is breaking down\" in his protracted confinement, and he has been denied regular access to the Eucharist, she said.  <\/p>\n

But, she told EWTN News Nightly, he continues to \u201cread the Gospel every morning\" and spends his time \u201cpraying and drawing the Crucifixion and the Blessed Mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

His faith \"is what protects his mind and soul,\" she said. <\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ewtnnews.com\/world\/catholic-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-in-hong-kong-national-security-trial<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jimmy Lai, the human rights advocate and outspoken Catholic who has faced what supporters say has been years of politicized prosecution and conviction in Hong Kong, was sentenced on Feb. 9 to 20 years in prison over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing comes after Lai's December conviction under China's wide-reaching [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-77350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":77454,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/secretary-rubio-other-leaders-denounce-jimmy-lais-tragic-20-year-sentence\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":0},"title":"Secretary Rubio, other leaders denounce Jimmy Lai\u2019s \u2018tragic\u2019 20-year sentence","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Aprile 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe Hong Kong High Court\u2019s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case,\u201d said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Feb. 9 statement.Jimmy Lai, Catholic entrepreneur and media tycoon, was sentenced on Feb. 9 to 20 years in prison\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77509,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/jimmy-lais-family-responds-to-20-year-prison-sentence\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":1},"title":"Jimmy Lai\u2019s family responds to 20-year prison sentence","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Aprile 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jimmy Lai\u2019s family is calling on national leaders to help free the Catholic pro-democracy activist after he received a 20-year prison sentence from a Hong Kong high court.\u201cThe life expectancy of the average male in Hong Kong is 83. My father was handed a 20-year sentence. He is five years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8120,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/jimmy-lai-remains-in-solitary-confinement-after-hong-kong-trial-delayed-until-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":2},"title":"Jimmy Lai remains in solitary confinement after Hong Kong trial delayed until November","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Agosto 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Hong Kong media tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai. \/ Credit: Napa Institute CNA Staff, Aug 5, 2024 \/ 17:01 pm (CNA). Media mogul and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai will remain in solitary confinement after a Hong Kong court on July 25 delayed the 76-year-old\u2019s national security trial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1722978050_Jimmy_Lai_FXM_interview.png?fit=900%2C600&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1722978050_Jimmy_Lai_FXM_interview.png?fit=900%2C600&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1722978050_Jimmy_Lai_FXM_interview.png?fit=900%2C600&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1722978050_Jimmy_Lai_FXM_interview.png?fit=900%2C600&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79246,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/prominent-hong-kong-catholic-wins-appeal-but-remains-behind-bars\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":3},"title":"Prominent Hong Kong Catholic Wins Appeal but Remains Behind Bars","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Marzo 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media mogul and well-known Catholic layperson from Hong Kong, won an appeal this week against a 2022 fraud conviction for which he had been serving a six-year sentence. The reprieve provides little reason for him to celebrate, however, as it comes less than two weeks after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":79541,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/pope-cannot-comment-on-jimmy-lais-imprisonment\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":4},"title":"Pope ‘cannot comment’ on Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Marzo 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"CASTEL GANDOLFO, ITALY \u2014 Pope Leo XIV told EWTN News he \u201ccannot comment\u201d on Jimmy Lai, the Catholic founder and publisher of the outspoken pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, who was sentenced Feb. 9 on charges Chinese authorities say violate national security laws. The sentence came after his conviction in December,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope 'cannot comment' on Jimmy Lai's imprisonment","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pope-cannot-comment-on-Jimmy-Lais-imprisonment.jpg?fit=1200%2C686&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pope-cannot-comment-on-Jimmy-Lais-imprisonment.jpg?fit=1200%2C686&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pope-cannot-comment-on-Jimmy-Lais-imprisonment.jpg?fit=1200%2C686&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pope-cannot-comment-on-Jimmy-Lais-imprisonment.jpg?fit=1200%2C686&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pope-cannot-comment-on-Jimmy-Lais-imprisonment.jpg?fit=1200%2C686&quality=80&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71456,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/daughter-of-political-prisoner-jimmy-lai-speaks-out-for-the-first-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":77350,"position":5},"title":"Daughter of political prisoner Jimmy Lai speaks out for the first time","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Gennaio 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Claire Lai, daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong activist and Catholic Jimmy Lai, speaks with EWTN News President Montse Alvarado on \u201cEWTN News Nightly\u201d on Dec. 8, 2025. \/ Credit: \u201cEWTN News Nightly\u201d\/Screenshot Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 9, 2025 \/ 06:00 am (CNA). Daughter of imprisoned Catholic activist Jimmy Lai spoke\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Daughter of political prisoner Jimmy Lai speaks out for the first time","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Daughter-of-political-prisoner-Jimmy-Lai-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.webp?fit=800%2C445&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Daughter-of-political-prisoner-Jimmy-Lai-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.webp?fit=800%2C445&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Daughter-of-political-prisoner-Jimmy-Lai-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.webp?fit=800%2C445&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Daughter-of-political-prisoner-Jimmy-Lai-speaks-out-for-the-first-time.webp?fit=800%2C445&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77350"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=77350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}