Ex-Apple Daily editor files appeal for sentence cut in national security case

2026-03-03 - 11:16

A former Apple Daily editor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month in a national security trial alongside his former boss, Jimmy Lai, has filed an appeal seeking a shorter sentence. Fung Wai-kong. Photo: Internet. Fung Wai-kong, former editorial writer and editor-in-chief of Apple Daily’s English news section, filed his appeal on Monday, local media reported, citing High Court documents. A hearing date for the appeal has not been set, according to the Judiciary’s website. Fung was sentenced on February 9 alongside Lai, the pro-democracy media tycoon; five other senior staff members at the pro-democracy tabloid and its parent company, and two activists linked to the international lobby group Stand with Hong Kong. Except for Lai, the other eight co-defendants pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. See also: How national security judges sentenced Jimmy Lai, from health records to foreign collusion Lai, whom the presiding national security judges labelled as the “mastermind” of the collusion plot, received the longest sentence – 20 years in prison. The judges gave the other defendants shorter jail terms, ranging from six years and three months to a decade. 10 years The starting sentence for the foreign collusion offence was set at 15 years in prison for all defendants. Media tycoon Jimmy Lai and co-defendants were sentenced on February 9, 2026. Graphic: Hans Tse/HKFP. Fung, former editor-in-chief Ryan Law, and former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung did not testify against their former boss. The three ex-editors each received a 10-year sentence, as they did not receive further discounts beyond the one-third reduction for their guilty pleas. Ten years behind bars is the statutory minimum under the national security law.