Hong Kong - A Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, a punishment condemned by rights groups as "effectively a death sentence" for the 78-year-old man.

Lai, a British citizen and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty in December of urging foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and for publishing "seditious" articles in his paper.

The 78-year-old's sentence is by far the harshest handed out under the Chinese-imposed national security law, surpassing the previous record of 10 years given to legal scholar Benny Tai in 2024.

A summary document from the judges said they settled on a 20-year sentence "after considering the serious and grave criminal conduct of Lai."

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Two of those years will overlap with Lai's existing prison term, meaning that he will serve an additional 18 years, the judges ruled.

Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020, sat impassively in the dock as his sentence was read out, an AFP journalist in the court reported.

As he was led away, he waved solemnly to people in the public gallery, including his wife Teresa, former Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen, and a number of former Apple Daily reporters.

Lai's defense lawyer Robert Pang did not say whether he would lodge an appeal.

While Lai's wife, Teresa, made no comment as she left the court, her children condemned the sentence in a fierce statement posted to social media.

"Sentencing my father to this draconian prison sentence is devastating for our family and life-threatening for my father," wrote Lai's son Sebastien.

"It signifies the total destruction of the Hong Kong legal system and the end of justice. After more than five years of relentlessly persecuting my father, it is time for China to do the right thing and release him before it is too late."

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Lai's daughter Claire described the sentence as "heartbreakingly cruel" and expressed deep fears around his ailing health.

"Over the last five years, I have watched my father's health deteriorate dramatically and the conditions he’s kept in go from bad to worse. If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars," she wrote.

"The harsh 20-year sentence against 78-year-old Jimmy Lai is effectively a death sentence. A sentence of this magnitude is both cruel and profoundly unjust," Human Rights Watch director Elaine Pearson said in a statement.

Amnesty International called the case "another grim milestone in Hong Kong's transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear."

Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that "today's egregious decision is the final nail in the coffin for freedom of the press in Hong Kong."

Lai's sentencing came less than a fortnight after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he had raised the issue of Lai during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Starmer achieved very little for Lai in his conversation with Xi, despite the 78-year-old journalist being a UK citizen, and declined to provide details on the substance of their conversation.

President Donald Trump has also called for his release, telling reporters in December that he feels "badly" for Lai and revealing that he had asked Xi to consider releasing him.

"He's an older man, and he's not well," Trump said. "So I did put that request out. We'll see what happens."

Following Lai's sentencing, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Hong Kong to "end his appalling ordeal" and pledged to "rapidly engage further" with Beijing.

Beijing on Monday dismissed criticism of Lai's sentencing as a smear on Hong Kong's judicial system, calling the sentence "reasonable, legitimate, and legal."