Hong Kong¡¯s most vocal China critic, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison, ending the city¡¯s biggest national security case which drew international concern about Beijing¡¯s clampdown on the city¡¯s freedoms and autonomy.

Lai¡¯s sentence on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one for publishing seditious materials ends a legal saga that has spanned nearly five years.

The founder of ?the feisty but shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai was first arrested in August 2020 and was convicted last year.