By AFP and Focus | 2025-12-15

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was convicted on three national security charges on December 15, a verdict rights groups denounced as a death knell for press freedom in the Chinese financial hub.

Prosecutors said Lai masterminded two conspiracies to urge foreign governments to take action against Hong Kong or China, and accused him of publishing materials that "excited disaffection" against the government.

Faces possible life sentence

The 78-year-old, who pleaded not guilty, now faces a possible life sentence. A date for Lai's sentencing will be announced after the judges hear further legal arguments. He can appeal the convictions.

"There is no doubt that (Lai) had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC for many of his adult years," Judge Esther Toh said in court, referring to the People's Republic of China.

"His constant invitation to the US to help bring down the government of the PRC with the excuse of helping the people of HK would be analogous to the situation where an American national asks for help from Russia to bring down the US government under the guise of helping the state of California."

Lai appeared impassive as the verdicts were read. He did not speak. As he left the courtroom, he nodded to his wife, Teresa, and his son, Lai Shun-yan, who were seated in the public gallery, an AFP reporter said.

Defense lawyer Robert Pang said Lai "is in fine spirits."

Dozens of police officers were deployed around the West Kowloon court, with an armored vehicle stationed nearby. Consular officials from the United States, the European Union and France attended, alongside prominent pro-democracy figures including Cardinal Joseph Zen and former lawmaker Emily Lau.

The founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has been in custody since 2020. His trial has been widely cited by critics as emblematic of shrinking political and press freedoms under the national security law Beijing imposed after the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

'Death knell for press freedom'

"The conviction of Jimmy Lai feels like the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong," Amnesty International said, while Reporters Without Borders described the case as showing "the alarming deterioration of media freedom."

Hong Kong's national security office has made hundreds of arrests under the law, which criminalizes broad categories of dissent and carries penalties of up to life in prison. Critics say it has all but extinguished remaining opposition voices in the city.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called the verdict a "disgraceful act of persecution."

Prosecutors cited 161 Apple Daily items, including opinion columns and talk shows hosted by Lai, which they deemed seditious under a colonial-era law for "exciting disaffection." They also accused him of backing the protest group "Stand with Hong Kong, Fight for Freedom."

Lai has denied seeking to influence foreign governments, saying his newspaper reflected Hong Kong's core values, including freedom of speech and the rule of law. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids, and six former executives have pleaded guilty in related cases.