{"id":120349,"date":"2026-02-09T15:27:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349"},"modified":"2026-02-09T15:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:27:43","slug":"rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349","title":{"rendered":"Rubio blasts China over ‘unjust and tragic’ 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The U.S. urged China to reverse what Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> called an “unjust and tragic” sentence against Hong Kong<\/a> publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, after Beijing-backed courts handed the 78-year-old a 20-year prison term under the national security law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The conviction shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong,” Rubio said in a statement. <\/strong>“The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.”<\/p>\n

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used Hong Kong\u2019s courts to sentence Lai on Monday<\/strong>, cementing one<\/a> of the most consequential national security cases since Beijing imposed a sweeping new law in the wake of months-long anti-CCP protests.<\/p>\n

Lai, a billionaire media entrepreneur, founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper in 1995<\/strong> once Hong Kong\u2019s most outspoken pro-democracy publication. <\/strong>He is among the highest-profile figures arrested under the 2020 National Security Law Beijing imposed following the unrest.<\/p>\n

The protests, sparked by fears Beijing was eroding Hong Kong\u2019s promised autonomy, were followed by a sweeping security crackdown that criminalized dissent and reshaped the city\u2019s legal system.<\/p>\n

MARCO RUBIO VOICES CONCERN THAT AMERICANS MAY SOMEDAY BE ARRESTED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WHEN VISITING EUROPE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The sentence also puts renewed pressure on President Donald Trump, who has previously spoken out about Lai\u2019s detention and is expected to travel to Beijing in April amid broader negotiations with China. Human rights advocates and some lawmakers have urged Trump to raise Lai\u2019s case directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping<\/a>, warning that silence would be read in Beijing as acquiescence.<\/p>\n

Trump said in December 2025 that he had personally urged Xi to release Lai.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump said. “He\u2019s not well, he\u2019s an older man, and he\u2019s not well, so I did put that request out. We\u2019ll see what happens.”<\/p>\n

Hong Kong authorities convicted Lai of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, a national security offense under the Beijing-imposed law. Prosecutors argued that Lai and his co-defendants used his media platform and international network to lobby for sanctions, blockades or other hostile actions by foreign governments against China and Hong Kong \u2014 actions the court said threatened national security.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judges labeled Lai the “mastermind” of the alleged plots.<\/p>\n

RUBIO SAYS COMMITMENT TO TAIWAN WON’T CHANGE AMID TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Lai also was convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious materials under a separate provision of Hong Kong\u2019s colonial-era Crimes Ordinance, applied in conjunction with the national security regime. Prosecutors cited hundreds of Apple Daily articles they said were designed to “incite public hatred or contempt” against authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lai and his defense team rejected that characterization as criminalizing expression.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Lai, the publisher\u2019s son, said the sentence effectively amounts to a life term given his father\u2019s age and deteriorating health.<\/p>\n

“20 years, he\u2019s 78 years old now. This is essentially a life sentence \u2014 or more like a death sentence, given the conditions he\u2019s being kept in,” Sebastian Lai said on FOX Business Monday. He said his father has lost significant weight in detention and now suffers from heart issues and diabetes, adding, “we\u2019re incredibly worried about his life.”<\/p>\n

Sebastian Lai said his father, a Catholic, remains “a man of deep faith” despite years in detention, believing “no matter how hard the conditions he was under, that he still did the right thing.”<\/p>\n

He also recalled that his father declined multiple opportunities to leave Hong Kong before his arrest, choosing instead to stay rather than abandon his principles or colleagues.<\/p>\n

The younger Lai said his father\u2019s case should serve as a warning for Taiwan<\/a>, arguing that Beijing\u2019s promise of autonomy under a “one country, two systems” model in Hong Kong has revealed how tightly mainland China ultimately controls the territory.<\/p>\n

Lai already has spent more than five years in prison serving a separate sentence for a fraud conviction and for organizing unauthorized assemblies during the protests.<\/p>\n

His defense has argued the case criminalized political speech and journalism rather than genuine national security threats, saying Lai\u2019s calls for international pressure on Beijing amounted to lawful advocacy and that meetings with U.S. officials and media appearances were routine for a prominent publisher and democracy advocate, not evidence of conspiracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-tragic-20-year-sentence-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. urged China to reverse what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called an “unjust and tragic” sentence against Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-120349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. urged China to reverse what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called an “unjust and tragic” sentence against Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Rubio blasts China over ‘unjust and tragic’ 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\"},\"wordCount\":752,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\",\"name\":\"Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rubio blasts China over ‘unjust and tragic’ 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR","og_description":"The U.S. urged China to reverse what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called an “unjust and tragic” sentence against Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Rubio blasts China over ‘unjust and tragic’ 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai","datePublished":"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349"},"wordCount":752,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349","name":"Rubio blasts China over 'unjust and tragic' 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-09T20:27:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-blasts-china-over-unjust-and-tragic-20-year-sentence-for-hong-kong-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-120349#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rubio blasts China over ‘unjust and tragic’ 20-year sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120349\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120349"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=120349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}