HONG KONG, China — Media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai will not challenge his conviction or 20-year prison sentence for collusion with foreign forces and sedition, his lawyer said on Friday, closing the door on an appeal in a closely watched national security case that has drawn international criticism.
Lai, 78, founded the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which has since ceased publication. He has long been one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
The decision follows a legal process that lasted nearly five years and concluded in February with Lai’s sentencing after a December conviction.
He was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials.
A member of Lai’s domestic legal team told Reuters that his client had given firm instructions not to contest the verdict or sentence.
“We can confirm we have clear and definitive instructions not to lodge an appeal against conviction or sentence,” the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. No explanation for the decision was provided.
In a related development, Fung Wai-kong, the former editor-in-chief of Apple Daily’s English-language news section, filed an appeal on Monday against his own sentence.
Fung received a 10-year prison term in the same national security case.
Members of Lai’s family have expressed concern about his health while in custody.
His son and daughter have warned that he could die in prison, citing a decline in his condition after spending more than five years in solitary confinement.
According to his family, Lai has diabetes and suffers from heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
Human rights organisations and several democratic governments have called for his release.
President Donald Trump of the United States has raised the issue with President Xi Jinping of China and is expected to revisit the matter during a planned visit to Beijing later this month.
Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing have defended the case, saying Lai received a fair hearing and that the national security law is applied equally.
Authorities say the legislation restored stability in the city following the large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations that erupted in 2019.
In a separate legal matter last month, Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal overturned Lai’s fraud conviction and set aside a 69-month prison sentence that had been imposed in that case.
The ruling marked a rare courtroom victory for Lai amid the series of prosecutions he has faced under Hong Kong’s national security framework.
