OHCHR / JIMMY LAI SENTENCE

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Monday urged for the release of Jimmy Lai after the imposition of a 20-year sentence against him in Hong Kong SAR. OHCHR

• Video Length: 00:01:58
• Production Date: 9 February 2026
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: HONG KONG; CHINA
• MAMS Id: 3533331
• Parent Id: 3533331
• Alternate Title: unifeed260209a

Description

STORY: OHCHR / JIMMY LAI SENTENCE
TRT: 01:58
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 09 FEBRUARY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, Palais Wilson - UN Human Rights Office headquarters
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplores the sentence handed down against Jimmy Lai on charges brought under national security legislation in Hong Kong. Our Office has reviewed the verdict against Jimmy Lai and is concerned that it criminalises the exercise of freedom of association and expression, including media freedoms – rights which are protected under international human rights law. Furthermore, the verdict draws extensively on conduct that pre-dates the passing of the National Security Law in 2020. The verdict should be promptly quashed as incompatible with international law. Additionally, we appeal for Jimmy Lai’s immediate release on humanitarian grounds, given his advanced age, health, and the impact of the more than four years he has already spent in detention. We repeat our concern that the broad scope of “collusion with external forces” under the National Security Law, including through conspiracy charges, puts at risk the legitimate activities of civil society organisations and journalists, including engagement with international human rights mechanisms. From 2020 to 2026, at least 385 individuals have been arrested and 175 convicted under national security-related offences, according to media reports citing official sources. All those individuals arbitrarily detained under these laws for exercising their internationally guaranteed rights and freedoms need to be released immediately.”
3. Wide shot, Palais Wilson - UN Human Rights Office headquarters

Storyline

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Monday urged for the release of Jimmy Lai after the imposition of a 20-year sentence against him in Hong Kong SAR.

Laurence made the following remarks in a recorded statement:

“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplores the sentence handed down against Jimmy Lai on charges brought under national security legislation in Hong Kong.

Our Office has reviewed the verdict against Jimmy Lai and is concerned that it criminalises the exercise of freedom of association and expression, including media freedoms -- rights which are protected under international human rights law. Furthermore, the verdict draws extensively on conduct that pre-dates the passing of the National Security Law in 2020.

The verdict should be promptly quashed as incompatible with international law.

Additionally, we appeal for Jimmy Lai’s immediate release on humanitarian grounds, given his advanced age, health, and the impact of the more than four years he has already spent in detention.

We repeat our concern that the broad scope of “collusion with external forces” under the National Security Law, including through conspiracy charges, puts at risk the legitimate activities of civil society organizations and journalists, including engagement with international human rights mechanisms.

From 2020 to 2026, at least 385 individuals have been arrested and 175 convicted under national security-related offences, according to media reports citing official sources.

All those individuals arbitrarily detained under these laws for exercising their internationally guaranteed rights and freedoms need to be released immediately.”