STORY: A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced pro-democracy media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai to five years and nine months in prison for fraud. Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent anti-China critics, has been convicted of violating a lease on one of his commercial properties. The 75-year-old has been behind bars since December 2020 for violating the right to assembly and is also charged with incitement and violating national security. Western governments, including the United States, have expressed concern about Lai’s situation and believe the verdict was politically motivated. They criticize the deteriorating protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong under the National Security Law enacted by Beijing in the summer of 2020.