Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy former media tycoon from Hong Kong and fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in one of the most high-profile cases prosecuted under China-imposed national security laws that have effectively silenced dissent in the city.

Three judges briefed by the government spared Lai, 78, the maximum sentence of life in prison on charges of conspiring with others to conspire with foreign powers to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious articles.

He was sentenced in December.

Given his age, a prison sentence could still keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.