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Hong Kong's High Court sentenced former media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to 20 years in prison on Monday, following his conviction under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region National Security Law.

2月9日，香港特区高等法院依据《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区维护国家安全法》，对前传媒大亨黎智英作出判决，判处其入狱20年。

The three national security judges—Esther Toh Lye-ping, D'Almada Remedios, and Alex Lee Wan-tang—handed down the sentence after Lai was found guilty in December on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials.

本案由杜丽冰、李素兰、李运腾三名国安法指定法官审理，黎智英已于去年12月被裁定两项串谋勾结外国势力罪、一项串谋发布煽动刊物罪名成立，三名法官随后当庭作出上述量刑。

"It is the legislative intent that …the engagement of a foreign entity in endangering national security is generally to be regarded as an offence of a more serious nature which has to be met with a more severe penalty," the court said in a written judgment.

法院在书面判词中表示，相关立法原意在于，外国主体参与危害国家安全的行为，通常被认定为性质更为严重的犯罪，必须施以更严厉的刑罚。

As Lai was also sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars in December 2022 for one count of fraud, an offense of a "totally different nature and the facts of which were also unrelated to the present case", the court ruled that 18 of the total 20-year imprisonment are to be served consecutively to his fraud sentence.

黎智英曾于2022年12月因一项欺诈罪被判入狱5年9个月，该罪行与本案性质完全不同、涉案事实亦无关联。法院据此裁定，本案20年刑期中的18年，须与其欺诈罪刑期分期执行。

In laying out the grounds for sentencing for Lai, the court noted that he had received adequate medical attention and care during his time in prison.

法院在阐述量刑依据时提及，黎智英在羁押期间已获得充分的医疗照料与保障。

The court said it was not inclined to reduce Lai's sentence on medical grounds, since these are seldom used as basis for reducing sentences in cases involving grave crimes.

法院称，不会以健康为由对其减刑，在涉及严重罪行的案件中，健康状况极少作为减刑依据。

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