On February 9, 2026, Hong Kong's High Court sentenced media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under the national security law imposed by Beijing. This sentence is the harshest yet under the law, surpassing the previous record of 10 years given to legal scholar Benny Tai in 2024, as reported by Dawn. Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. The judges described Lai as the 'mastermind' behind persistent foreign collusion conspiracies, which sought sanctions and other hostile acts from the US and other countries, according to Daily The Patriot. The Guardian highlighted that Lai's family and supporters have described the sentence as 'heartbreakingly cruel,' given his age and declining health, with his son stating that '20 years is a death sentence.'