Jimmy Lai will receive Deutsche Welle’s 2026 freedom of speech award in Bonn even though he is imprisoned in Hong Kong. The German broadcaster said the prize will be handed over in absentia on 23 June at its Global Media Forum. Deutsche Welle’s director-general, Barbara Massing, praised Lai for backing independent reporting through the now-closed Apple Daily. The award highlights continuing international concern about press freedom in Hong Kong and has already drawn responses from rights groups and the British government.

Award to be handed over in Bonn

Deutsche Welle announced on Thursday that it will present its freedom of speech prize to Jimmy Lai on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. The public broadcaster said the award recognises Lai’s role in creating a platform for independent reporting in Hong Kong. Barbara Massing, Deutsche Welle’s director-general, framed the honour as recognition of long-standing support for press freedom amid rising pressure on dissenters in the city.

The award will be presented in absentia. Lai has been detained in Hong Kong since 2020. He can't attend the ceremony in person.

The case against Lai

Jimmy Lai, 78, is a British citizen and the founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy tabloid that was forced to close. Hong Kong authorities arrested him in 2020. They accused him of using Apple Daily and his political contacts to lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.

In February, a Hong Kong court sentenced Lai to 20 years in prison. The charges included conspiracy to collaborate with foreign forces and publishing material deemed seditious under the city’s national security law. The law was imposed by the Chinese Communist Party in 2020. Beijing says the statute was needed to restore stability to Hong Kong.

Critics say it has been used to curb dissent.

Lai has been a visible voice in Hong Kong politics for years. He provided financial support to pro-democracy parties and took part in mass protests in 2019 and 2020. His arrest and conviction mark the latest and most severe penalty for a high-profile pro-democracy figure since the national security law came into force.

Responses from rights groups and the UK

Human rights organisations and foreign governments condemned the sentence. Human Rights Watch said the term was so long it amounted to "effectively a death sentence". The British government also criticised the conviction. Officials in London have repeatedly warned that the erosion of rights in Hong Kong affects bilateral relations with China.

Those responses have turned Lai’s case into a diplomatic issue as well as a legal one. Britain still lists the safeguarding of rights in Hong Kong as an element of its foreign policy. Lai’s status as a British national has kept his case in UK political debate.

What Lai stood for and what changed

Lai was born in southern China in 1947 and moved to Hong Kong in 1960. He built a media business centred on Apple Daily and used his platform to support the territory’s pro-democracy forces. Apple Daily became known for its outspoken editorial line and its backing of protest movements.

Mastheads

The paper’s closure and Lai’s imprisonment are often cited by critics as evidence of a larger shift in the city. After the 1997 handover, Hong Kong retained many freedoms under the one country, two systems arrangement.

Detractors say that arrangement has been hollowed out. Supporters of the national security law say the changes restored order after volatile protests.

The award and the reaction to Lai’s sentence show two linked effects: the political fallout, and the reputational cost for Hong Kong as a business centre. Politically, the case continues to strain relations between Beijing and capitals that raised concerns about rights. London has specifically pressed for the protection of civil liberties for Hong Kong residents and British nationals linked to the former colony.

On the economic side, international attention on rights and rule of law can influence how outside governments and investors view Hong Kong. The prize from Deutsche Welle is a symbolic rebuke from a major European public broadcaster.

Symbolic gestures can pile up. And those gestures can affect perceptions of the territory’s openness and legal predictability.

Apple Daily’s closure removed a prominent independent media voice and a commercial enterprise. That outcome narrowed the local media market and removed one channel for political debate. For businesses and international partners, a narrower media sphere can mean less transparency about regulatory and political risk.

The national security law under which Lai was convicted criminalises a range of acts broadly described as threats to state security. Hong Kong authorities have used it to bring cases against politicians, protesters and journalists. Prosecutions under the law have featured prominently in international reporting and diplomatic exchanges.

Lai’s conviction and long sentence are among the most severe outcomes to date. Rights groups say the case marks a turning point that shows how the law can be applied to curtail press freedom and political organising.

The authorities and Beijing regard the statute as a necessary tool to maintain public order.

Deutsche Welle’s decision to honour Lai places an international spotlight on his case. The broadcaster framed the award as recognition of his efforts to maintain a space for free reporting. Awards of this kind can amplify attention and sustain international debate about legal and human rights standards.

For Lai himself, the award will be a public reminder of his role as a media entrepreneur and a pro-democracy activist. For his supporters in Hong Kong and abroad, the prize offers a form of moral recognition. For his critics and for the authorities, the award may be viewed as interference in what they see as internal matters of national security.

Lai’s British citizenship gives the United Kingdom a direct stake in the case. London has criticised the sentence and has linked such cases to wider concerns about the treatment of those connected to the former colony.

Officials in London have cited cases like Lai’s when discussing migration, sanctions and cooperation with partners.

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The award will be handed to Lai in absentia at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn on 23 June.

This article was created with AI assistance.