Less than 24 hours after a Hong Kong court sentenced Catholic pro-democracy journalist Jimmy Lai, who is 78, to 20 years in prison Feb. 9, numerous international advocates and U.S. political leaders — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — have warned that the sentencing curtails basic freedoms in the region. 

Riccardo Cascioli, managing director of the Italian Catholic publication the New Daily Compass, wrote that the outcome is “essentially a death sentence.”

Cascioli reported that “the sentence was read out in an emotional and packed courtroom” where many wept, though Lai himself “remained calm and smiled briefly,” even amid the reading.

Supporters of Lai began arriving at the court as early as the night before the sentencing, Cascioli reported. Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, accompanied Lai’s wife, Teresa. The cardinal attended a hearing in the case alongside the Zen family in 2024. 

“Today is a dark day for anyone who believes in truth, freedom and justice," Lai’s son Sebastien said after the sentencing, according to Cascioli.  

Lai’s daughter Claire said the sentence is “heartbreakingly cruel.”

Other reactions to the sentencing note that the development marks “the end of the legal system in Hong Kong, and the final nail in the coffin for freedom in the former British colony,” Cascioli wrote. 

Rubio said Feb. 9 that the sentencing “is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case.”

“It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, casting aside the international commitments Beijing made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration,” Rubio said. “After enduring a trial lasting two years, and detention in prison for more than five, Mr. Lai and his family have suffered enough. The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., strongly condemned the sentencing and urged for the U.S. to “use all diplomatic and economic tools at its disposal to advocate for the release of heroes like Jimmy Lai.”

In the emailed press release from Smith’s office, he called on President Donald Trump to continue to make the release of Lai and others imprisoned unjustly in Hong Kong a priority, noting Lai’s age and the poor conditions of the prison. 

“Jimmy Lai is a man of faith and conscientious conviction, and he should be released immediately,” Smith said. “Despite — or perhaps, in spite of — his life’s work as a legendary entrepreneur and a lion of free speech, Jimmy has been unjustly prosecuted and persecuted by functionaries, who, for all purposes, are lackeys of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., stated on X that the sentencing was unjust and a result of Lai’s human rights and free speech advocacy. 

“The CCP will stop at nothing to silence its pro-democracy critics,” Young said. 

Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas and member of the Select Committee on China, also decried the decision. 

“His crime? Publishing a newspaper. Speaking the truth. Standing for democracy,” Moran stated. “This unjust sentence is a stark reminder that Beijing's repression knows no bounds — targeting those who dare to speak truth and defend liberty.”

Other U.S. politicians have issued similar statements in support of Lai. 

Numerous politicians in the United Kingdom, where Lai is also a citizen, have spoken out as well. 

Joe Powell, labour member of Parliament for Kensington and Bayswater, stated in a video X post that “Lai’s family – my constituents — are devastated by today’s sentencing.”

“His imprisonment is the result of a sham trial, and a death sentence for an elderly man in failing health who must be freed and reunited with his family as soon as possible,” Powell said. “We must do everything in our power to ensure his release and bring him home.”

According to the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Conservative MP Iain Duncan spearheaded a conversation about Lai in UK Parliament. During the conversation, a number of MPs spoke out strongly against the sentencing of Lai and the oppression against  other Apple Daily journalists as well. 

Penny Wong, Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, has also expressed deep concern over Lai’s sentencing. She said in a statement that the nation will continue to raise “human rights concerns directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments at the highest levels.”

“The prosecution of Mr Lai and his co-defendants has had a chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong,” Wong remarked. “We continue to call on China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, consistent with UN Human Rights Committee recommendations, and to call for the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.”