Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal his conviction and 20-year prison sentence for collusion with foreign powers and sedition, his lawyer announced Friday, following a landmark case that sparked international criticism.
Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was one of the most outspoken critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
A nearly five-year legal battle ended in February with a December conviction on two counts of collusion with a foreign power and one count of publishing seditious material.
A member of Lai’s domestic legal team told Reuters his client would not appeal the conviction and sentence, a move that drew criticism from countries including Britain and the United States.
“I can confirm that there are clear and definitive instructions not to appeal the conviction or sentence,” he said on condition of anonymity, without giving a reason for the decision.
Separately, von Wykon, former editor-in-chief of the newspaper’s English news division, on Monday began an appeal against a 10-year sentence in the same national security case.
Rai’s son and daughter have warned that his health is deteriorating after more than five years in solitary confinement and that he could die in prison. In addition to diabetes, he has health problems such as heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
Human rights groups and many democratic countries have called for Lai’s release.
US President Donald Trump has raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping and is expected to follow up on a visit to Beijing scheduled for later this month.
But Hong Kong and Beijing insist Lai received a fair trial and that everyone is treated equally under the national security law that has restored order in Hong Kong since the country’s massive 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Last month, in a separate case, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal handed Mr. Lai a rare legal victory, overturning his fraud conviction and canceling his 69-month sentence.
