Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of national security and sedition offences, in a ruling that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison. The verdict, delivered on Monday at the West Kowloon district court, is one of the most closely watched since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Lai, 78, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of conspiracy to foreign collusion, under Hong Kong’s national security law and a colonial-era sedition law. Prosecutors accused him of using his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and foreign political connections to lobby for sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In an 855-page judgment, the judges described Lai as a “mastermind” of conspiracies designed to destabilise the Chinese government. High Court judge Esther Toh said there was “no doubt” that Lai had never wavered in his intention to undermine governance by the Chinese Communist Party. The trial stretched for more than two years, with Lai appearing in court in a grey jacket, flanked by armed guards in a glass-walled dock.
The conviction drew immediate condemnation from rights groups and the British government. The Committee to Protect Journalists called it a “sham conviction” and a “disgraceful act of persecution”, while Amnesty International’s China director, Sarah Brooks, said the verdict’s predictability did not make it “any less dismaying”. Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, Elaine Pearson, described the ruling as “cruel and a travesty of justice”. Britain reiterated its view that the prosecution was “politically motivated” and called for Lai’s immediate release, noting his British citizenship. The verdict comes weeks before an expected visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, and its security police chief, Steve Li, welcomed the ruling, saying the judges were “professional”. Beijing’s foreign ministry expressed support for Hong Kong authorities’ efforts to punish criminal acts that endanger national security. Three Apple Daily entities – Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited – were also found guilty of the two foreign collusion charges. Lai remains in custody, with the next court date set for 12 January. He has the right to appeal.
