Li Yuchen | The person who ran the newspaper was sentenced to 20 years

By Li Yuchen

10 a.m., February 9, 2026, West Kowloon Court.

The 78-year-old man, wearing a white coat and black glasses, was brought into the courtroom. Before taking his seat, he clasped his hands and smiled at the public gallery. His wife waved back from the gallery.

Ten minutes later, the judge read out the verdict:

20 years imprisonment.

The old man nodded, still smiling. Cries came from the public gallery.

He was charged with three counts.

To put it more bluntly: he ran a newspaper, published some articles, accepted interviews with some foreign media, and met with some foreign politicians.

The court’s judgment was 47 pages long. The core content was: he was the “mastermind and promoter”.

The court found that he, through the platform of that newspaper, published 161 articles involved in the case, spanning from April 2019 to June 2021 when the newspaper ceased publication.

Final sentence: 20 years.

He is 78 years old this year. If the sentence is completed, he will be released at the age of 98.

His daughter said that in the past five years, her father’s health had deteriorated sharply. If the sentence is carried out, “he will die in prison”.

His son said that the verdict was a “devastating blow” to the whole family.

Also sentenced in the same case were six senior executives of the newspaper.

Chief Executive Officer: 6 years and 9 months.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief: 7 years.

Editor-in-Chief: 10 years.

Executive Editor-in-Chief: 10 years.

Executive Editor-in-Chief of the English Edition: 10 years.

Editorial Writer: 7 years and 3 months.

Among these defendants, only he pleaded not guilty. The rest all pleaded guilty, and five of them testified against him in court.

The court gave additional sentence reductions to the five people who served as accomplice witnesses.

And the three defendants who did not serve as accomplice witnesses—only received the usual one-third sentence reduction for pleading guilty, each with a sentence of 10 years.

10 years is the minimum penalty prescribed by law.

In other words, cooperating to testify against the boss can reduce the sentence by a few years. If you don’t cooperate, it’s a minimum of 10 years.

The case was tried in December 2023, and the trial lasted 156 days, presided over by three designated judges. There was no jury.

He originally wanted to hire a British lawyer to defend him. The Chief Judge of the High Court approved this request. But the Department of Justice was not convinced and appealed to the Court of Final Appeal.

The Court of Final Appeal dismissed the Department of Justice’s appeal.

Then, the government requested an interpretation of the law.

In December 2022, the interpretation was passed: when there is a dispute over whether overseas lawyers can participate in such cases, the court should obtain a certificate from the Chief Executive.

That British lawyer couldn’t come in the end.

Also in the courtroom was a former employee of the newspaper. She knew several of the defendants.

She said that the old man’s sentence was “almost equivalent to life imprisonment”.

She said that the sentences of the people were “beyond imagination”—especially the three employees who were “not key figures” but did not serve as accomplice witnesses, who were sentenced to 10 years.

“Everyone will also ask: why is this?”

She said she felt “wronged”, “unfair”, and “unclear”. Because the defendants were only engaged in professional media work.

“The law has a scope, but he used the most severe situation.”

The former chairman of the Journalists Association described the sentencing result as “quite disappointing and depressing”.

He said that the phenomenon of media self-censorship is becoming increasingly serious. Judging from today’s verdict, journalists will realize that working with “people the government doesn’t like” may put them at risk of a ten-year prison sentence.

He asked a question: Are young people still willing to join this industry?

That newspaper was founded in 1995.

It is known for criticizing the government. It is one of the best-selling newspapers.

In June 2021, the newspaper was forced to cease publication. The editorial department was searched, the chief writer was arrested, and assets were frozen.

After 26 years of publication, 1 million copies were sold on the day it ceased publication.

Five years have passed from the cessation of publication to the sentencing.

At 4:40 a.m. on the day of the sentencing, a woman queuing to attend the hearing was taken away by the police.

The reason was: she was wearing a keychain of that newspaper.

The newspaper has been out of print for five years. But its keychain is still a dangerous symbol.

After the court adjourned, the old man’s wife cried outside the court. Some members of the public embraced each other, saying “there’s nothing we can do”.

The old man himself left the court calmly after the verdict, with almost no expression on his face.

Only the Executive Editor-in-Chief of the English Edition tried to stay for a moment to make eye contact with the public in the gallery.

His sentence is 10 years. Because he did not testify against the boss.

He was born in Guangdong in 1947. At the age of 12, he smuggled to that city.

According to his autobiography, at Guangzhou Railway Station, a stranger gave him a piece of chocolate. That was the first time he tasted chocolate. He later said that the taste was the “taste of freedom”.

He worked in a garment factory, starting as a child laborer, and eventually founded his own clothing brand. Later, he founded that newspaper. Later, he was arrested.

Now, he is 78 years old and has to spend another 20 years in prison.

The person who ran the newspaper was sentenced to 20 years.

The person who wrote the comments was sentenced to 7 years.

The person who was the editor-in-chief was sentenced to 10 years.

The person who refused to testify against the boss was sentenced to 10 years.

The person who carried the newspaper keychain was taken away.

This is 2026.

Li Yuchen’s article stands in the dust

Written on February 9, 2026

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