Hong Kong SAR: UN experts dismayed by Jimmy Lai conviction
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed deep disappointment at the conviction of pro-democracy media entrepreneur, Jimmy Lai, despite prolonged engagement with authorities on the case, and called for his immediate release from prison on humanitarian grounds.
“Jimmy Lai’s conviction is another symbolic turn in the dramatic decline in fundamental freedoms and judicial independence in Hong Kong SAR since 2019,” the experts said. “It demonstrates the lengths the authorities are willing to go to silence dissent or criticism, including against a 78-year-old man with serious health concerns.”
On 15 December 2025, more than five years after his arrest, Lai was convicted on sedition and foreign collusion charges under the controversial National Security Law.
UN experts have previously raised their concerns that these charges were directly related to his criticism of the Chinese Government and his support for democracy in Hong Kong.
“There have been serious due process failures of the trial, including allegations that at least one prosecution-turned witness was tortured in China, and such evidence was neither investigated nor excluded,” the experts said.
“This conviction represents a direct assault on freedom of expression and media freedom, and is deliberately aimed at deepening the chilling effect on civil society. It targets the courageous members of Hong Kong’s civil society – independent journalists and human rights defenders, whose only ‘offence’ is seeking to express their views freely, something that should never be treated as a crime.”
Jimmy Lai is the founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, closed in 2021, and a well-known advocate of freedom of speech, press freedom and democracy in Hong Kong SAR. He was arrested in August 2020 in relation to tweets, interviews and articles he published about the negative impact of the National Security Law on fundamental rights and freedoms.
The experts were dismayed at the number of lawsuits and proceedings Lai has faced, given his advanced age, which appear to be aimed at castigating him through detention and legal proceedings.
“As we await the sentencing, we urge the Government and the court to bear in mind the age and health issues of Mr. Lai, to recognise the time he has already served, and to issue a non-custodial sentence or release him on humanitarian grounds,” they said.
Lai was previously convicted of unauthorised assembly in 2021 for his participation in pro-democracy protests and for fraud in October 2022, being sentenced to 17 months and 5 years and 9 months in prison respectively. The experts previously raised their concerns with authorities in 2020, 2023 and 2024. They have considered the Government responses, and stand ready to renew their dialogue with the authorities.
In 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, found that Jimmy Lai’s detention was unlawful and arbitrary, and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
*The experts:
Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers;
Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association;
Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/.
UN Human Rights, country page – China
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