Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Monday said the 20-year prison sentence imposed on Jimmy Lai Chi-ying demonstrated that the rule of law had been upheld and justice done.

Lee said Lai had long used the now-defunct Apple Daily to incite hatred, distort facts, stir social antagonism, and glorify violence.

“He had openly begged for external forces to impose sanctions against China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, sacrificing the well-being of the people of China and the HKSAR,” Lee said.

He added that Lai’s conviction marked the first case under the offense of “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law.

“This marks an important milestone in the HKSAR’s efforts to safeguard national security, manifesting the role of the law as a key stabilizing force,” Lee said.

Separately, a government spokesman said the court had clearly identified Lai as the mastermind behind the case, which constituted an aggravating factor and led to a higher starting point for sentencing.

The spokesman said the government would forfeit Lai’s offense-related property in accordance with the law. The Secretary for Security had earlier ordered the freezing of offense-related assets belonging to Lai and companies linked to Apple Daily.