Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai Decides Against Appealing 20-Year Sentence

Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has decided not to appeal his 20-year prison sentence, a move that may cement the pro-democracy activist’s fate behind bars for what could be the remainder of his life.

Robert Pang, a member of Lai’s legal team in Hong Kong, confirmed the decision weeks after the city’s High Court delivered the landmark ruling under Beijing’s 2020 National Security Law. Pang said Friday he received “clear and definitive instructions” not to lodge an appeal against the conviction or sentence.