(*20*)78‑12 months‑outdated professional‑democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, lengthy seen as certainly one of Beijing’s most outspoken critics, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong’s highest‑profile nationwide safety case, capping a years‑lengthy authorized battle that has drawn world condemnation. The ruling deepens issues over press freedom and the way forward for the rule of regulation in the town. NCS’s Kristie Lu Stout stories.