How the Security Law Used Against Jimmy Lai Has Changed Hong Kong

After pro-democracy protests rocked Hong Kong in 2019, mainland China tightened its grip by imposing a broad national security law on the former British colony. Since then, dozens of opposition figures have been arrested, including Jimmy Lai, a former media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner. On Feb. 9, Lai, 78, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of national security crimes in a trial that demonstrated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s resolve to stamp out political disse