On Monday morning, a three-judge panel found 78-year-old Lai guilty on two counts of conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security and one count of conspiring to publish seditious material.
The High Court of Hong Kong has found pro-democracy activist and newspaper founder Jimmy Lai guilty on three charges linked to allegations that he endangered China’s national security, following a closely watched trial.
He now faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
On Monday morning, a three-judge panel found 78-year-old Lai guilty on two counts of conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security and one count of conspiring to publish seditious material.
Lai had pleaded not guilty to all charges. He has been held in detention since December 2020, when he was arrested during a wave of antigovernment protests across Hong Kong.
The case has been widely viewed as a test of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” framework, introduced after the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. While the principle confirmed Hong Kong as part of China, it was meant to allow the city to maintain its own system of governance, separate from Beijing.
However, activists argue that this autonomy has been steadily eroded as Beijing moves to tighten its control. Once regarded as a stronghold of free expression in the region, Hong Kong has in recent years seen protesters, journalists, and publishers increasingly arrested and prosecuted.
On Monday, Judge Esther Toh accused Lai of repeatedly urging the United States to take action against the People’s Republic of China and its ruling Communist Party.
She and her fellow judges, Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios, delivered an 855-page ruling in the case, describing Lai as the “mastermind” behind a criminal conspiracy.
“There is no doubt that the first defendant harboured deep resentment and hatred toward the PRC for much of his adult life,” Toh said in a packed courtroom on Monday.
Human rights organisations and media freedom groups swiftly condemned the verdict, calling it a miscarriage of justice.
Lai’s lawyers and family have repeatedly appealed to Hong Kong’s High Court for leniency, pointing to his age and health issues, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
International figures, including US President Donald Trump, have previously urged that Lai be released.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
KoikiMedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep