What changed

B100082/2026

B100084/2026

European Parliament resolution on the Conviction and imminentImminent sentencingSentencing of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong

(2026/2573(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on Hong Kong and China,on the People’s Republic of China (PRC),

having regard to the Statement by the Delegation of the EU to the PRC of 15 December 2025 on the verdict in the Jimmy Lai case,

having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas on 15 December 2025, Hong Kong'sKong’s High Court convicted British citizen and mediapro-democracy entrepreneuractivist Jimmy Lai, aged 78, of conspiracy toLai commiton collusionnational withsecurity foreigncharges, forcesand underwhereas thehe Nationalnow Securityfaces Lawimminent andsentencing conspiracythat tocould publishresult seditiousin publications;imprisonment;

whereas Lai has been detained since December 2020 and has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement; whereas his health has deteriorated significantly and reportedly adequate medical care has been denied;

whereas Jimmy Lai has been detained since 2021 following multiple prosecutions widely regarded as politically motivated, including charges of collusion with foreign forces under the National Security Law (NSL) and sedition under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance; whereas his trial has been marked by serious due-process concerns, including the denial of his right to legal counsel;

whereas in November 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared Lai's detention unlawful and arbitrary; whereas UN experts stated serious due process failures marred the trial, including allegations of human torture;

whereas the conviction of Jimmy Lai represents a further escalation in the dismantling of freedom of expression, media freedom and judicial independence in Hong Kong following the imposition of the NSL in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO)

whereas the PRC has systematically violated the Sino-British declaration, the "one country, two systems" principle; whereas over 250 individuals have been arrested under the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance; whereas at least 28 journalists have been prosecuted in Hong Kong since 2020;

whereas through the imposition of the NSL and the SNSO China has breached its international legal obligations which guaranteed HK a special status until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which remains applicable to Hong Kong;

whereas legal experts noted that 60-70% of the verdict is based on conduct occurring before the National Security Law came into force on 30 June 2020, when such conduct was lawful; whereas this retroactive application violates fundamental principles of legality;

whereas Jimmy Lai, aged 78, suffers from diabetes and has been held in prolonged detention under harsh conditions;

Strongly condemns the politically motivated conviction of Jimmy Lai and reiterates its call for his immediate and unconditional release; urges Hong Kong authorities to provide immediate access to specialised medical care;

Condemns in the strongest terms the conviction of Jimmy Lai and expresses grave concern over his imminent sentencing, which exemplifies the systematic use of state security laws to eliminate independent media, free speech and the political opposition in Hong Kong;

Expresses profound concern regarding Lai's prolonged detention in solitary confinement; emphasises that denial of adequate medical care constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment;

Urges the HK authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai, as well as all other individuals detained for exercising their freedoms and democratic rights, to drop all charges against them, and to guarantee their fundamental rights;

Emphasises that this case exemplifies a broader pattern of systematic violations of fundamental freedoms by Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including against human rights defenders, journalists, ethnic and religious minorities, and foreign citizens;

Reiterates its strong condemnation of the application of NSL and the SNSO in Hong Kong and its transnational implications; urges the PRC and HK to repeal the NSL and the SNSO,

Deplores the systematic destruction of press freedom in Hong Kong and the PRC including the imprisonment of journalists and writers, such as Swedish publisher Gui Minhai detained for over 10 years; calls for immediate release of all journalists and writers detained under national security and sedition charges;

Condemns escalating transnational repression by Chinese and Hong Kong authorities against journalists, activists, and diaspora groups, including in the EU; reiterates its call on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and HK and to provide effective protection to individuals at risk of political persecution;

Reiterates its grave concern regarding the extraterritorial reach of the National Security Law and escalating transnational repression by Chinese and Hong Kong authorities against diaspora communities in the European Union; calls on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with Hong Kong and the PRC and to review the status of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices operating in Europe;

Urges the Council to urgently review its 2020 Conclusions on HK and adopt sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Chief Executive John Lee and all HK and PRC officials responsible for the crackdown on freedoms in HK;

Reiterates its call on the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to uphold their international legal commitments to protect fundamental rights and freedoms as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Sino-British Joint Declaration;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Government and Parliament of the PRC, and the Chief Executive and Legislative Council of the HKSAR.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, the PRC, and the HKSAR.