Taiwan condemns 'political persecution' after Jimmy Lai gets 20-year sentence

Taipei, Feb. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Monday "strongly condemned" what it called the "political persecution" by Chinese authorities after Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL).

In a statement, MAC said it "condemns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Hong Kong government for using national security as a pretext to suppress freedom and human rights."

As Taiwan's top government agency handling cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, MAC urged the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to "stop the political persecution and immediately release Lai."

MAC's response came after the Hong Kong High Court earlier Monday sentenced the 78-year-old Lai to 20 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down so far in a national security case since the HKNSL took effect in the former British colony on June 30, 2020.

The sentence followed a High Court ruling on Dec. 15 last year that found Lai guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the HKNSL, as well as one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials under the Crimes Ordinance, a colonial-era law.

A longtime critic of Beijing, Lai is regarded by supporters as a pro-democracy activist. He founded Apple Daily in Hong Kong in 1995 -- two years before the city's handover to China -- and later launched a sister publication in Taiwan in 2003.

The Hong Kong newspaper, known for its pro-democracy stance, was forced to close in June 2021 after authorities froze its assets and arrested senior staff. The Taiwan edition ended operations in August 2022, citing organizational challenges.

Citing what it described as Hong Kong's "painful experience," MAC urged the public in Taiwan to safeguard their "hard-won freedoms" and called on the international community to remain alert to Beijing's erosion of human rights and to stand with Taiwan in "defending the democratic front line."

International groups also condemned the sentencing. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced the jail terms given to Lai and six former Apple Daily executives on Monday, which ranged from six years and nine months to 10 years.

"This court decision underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities' profound contempt for independent journalism," RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.

Bruttin urged democratic countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States to exert pressure on Chinese authorities to secure the release of Lai -- a British citizen -- and other jailed journalists, warning that Lai's 20-year prison term "must not become a death sentence."