Hong Kong sentenced media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in jail.
The 78-year-old British national is one of the highest-profile critics of Beijing’s changes to Hong Kong’s governance, notably a sweeping national security law imposed in 2020. Authorities have since jailed dozens of dissidents, and shuttered various civil society groups and media outlets; Lai himself was arrested five years ago, and convicted in December.
Hong Kong has been “transformed” under Beijing’s tightening control, CNN reported: Its once-raucous political scene has largely been neutered, and its Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom ranking has fallen from 18th in 2002 to 180th last year, although its status as a financial hub remains intact.
