Hong Kong ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal national security conviction, legal team says

HONG KONG (AP) — Former Hong Kong pro-democracy broadcaster Jimmy Lai will not appeal his national security conviction sentenced to 20 years in prison He was in prison last month, his legal team said Friday.

Lai, one outspoken critic China’s ruling Communist Party, which founded the now-defunct Apple Daily found guilty He was charged in December with colluding with foreign powers and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles.

The legal team informed The Associated Press via text message about the decision, which ended a years-long legal battle. Lawyers did not comment on the reason for not appealing.

Observers say his conviction reflects the decline in press and other freedoms that has transformed Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese control in 1997. The government insists The case has nothing to do with free pressHe said the defendants had used years of reporting as an excuse to take actions harmful to China and Hong Kong.

Lai was one of the first prominent figures arrested under the security law in 2020. Within a year, some senior journalists at Apple Daily were also arrested, and the newspaper, known for its critical coverage of both the Beijing and Hong Kong governments, It will be closed in June 2021.

Lai is 78 and his long sentence has raised concerns he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

After the punishment, Lai’s children He said about the possible visit of US President Donald Trump goes to Beijing It could be crucial in securing the release of their father, a British citizen.

The White House confirmed that Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but so far there has been no official confirmation from Beijing.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials defended Lai’s sentence, saying it reflected the spirit of the rule of law.