A Hong Kong court has found media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and sedition, marking the most high-profile conviction under China’s sweeping national security law imposed on the city in 2020.
The ruling exposes the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper to a potential life sentence, although the court has yet to fix a date for sentencing. A pre-sentencing hearing, where Lai may seek leniency, is scheduled for January 12.
Two of the three charges on which Lai was convicted fall under Beijing’s national security law, which criminalises acts broadly defined as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign entities. Chinese authorities insist the law targets only threats to national security, but critics argue it has been deployed to silence dissent and curtail political freedoms.
The case has drawn intense international attention, with the United States and Britain condemning the verdict as politically motivated and questioning Hong Kong’s judicial independence. Beijing and the Hong Kong government have rejected the criticism, maintaining that Lai received a fair and lawful trial.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with what it described as foreign “smears” against Hong Kong’s justice system, urging other countries to refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Esther Toh said Lai had demonstrated hostility toward China and conspired to seek foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland. Supporters view Lai as a defender of press freedom, while Chinese authorities portray him as a central figure behind anti-government protests.
Lai has already spent nearly five years in detention amid multiple prosecutions under the national security framework, enacted following the mass pro-democracy protests of 2019.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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