Lai was found guilty of sedition and collaboration with foreign forces.

Jimmy Lai, 78, a pro-democracy media tycoon and British citizen, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for national security offenses, sparking outrage in the UK, Europe, and the United States.

On Monday, a Hong Kong court described his crimes as “grave” and “premeditated” as it imposed the worst punishment yet under the city’s contentious national security statute.

Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most outspoken Beijing critics, was seen as a hero by the pro-democracy movement and frequently used his publication, Apple Daily, as a form of protest. He consistently disputed the claims against him.

Some supporters had been waiting outside the court since Friday evening, and they were joined by a large police presence and stringent cordons before to the sentencing.

Sebastien, Lai’s son, told the media that the move was “basically a death sentence” and that he was being punished for supporting “the freedoms of Hong Kong”.

While China’s foreign ministry defended the decision as “reasonable, legitimate, and legal,” democracies, as well as a number of rights and media organizations, denounced it, with Amnesty International calling it a “grim milestone” for Hong Kong.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that Lai had been imprisoned following a “politically motivated prosecution” and that the UK will “rapidly engage” with Beijing on the issue.