HONG KONG--Hong Kong's High Court found tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty on Monday of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in the city's highest-profile trial under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.
The landmark case has drawn international scrutiny of Hong Kong's judicial independence amid a years-long crackdown on rights and freedoms in the global financial hub after 2019 pro-democracy protests that Beijing saw as a challenge to its rule.
While 78-year-old Lai's supporters see him as a freedom fighter, Beijing regards him as a mastermind of the protests and a conspirator advocating for U.S. sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland. Chinese authorities have rejected accusations of eroding the city's rule of law.
"There is no doubt" that Lai "had harboured his resentment and hatred of" China for many of his adult years, Judge Esther Toh told a packed courtroom as the tycoon, wearing a pale green jumper and a grey jacket, sat with his arms folded.The two other judges in his case were Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.
Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China's Communist Party leadership, has already spent five years in jail, facing a slew of litigation under the sweeping security legislation that Beijing enacted in response to the 2019 protests. A pre-sentencing hearing at which Lai can plead for lenience is scheduled for January 12. His lawyer, Steven Kwan, said Lai would decide whether to appeal after the sentencing.
Hong Kong leader John Lee and national security police chief Steve Li told reporters on Monday they welcomed the verdict. "The judiciary is confident and unafraid of any intimidation and firmly discharges its responsibility to safeguard national security," the city's leader said at the airport before a regular visit to Beijing.
Lai, who suffers from health issues including diabetes and high blood pressure, was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He had denied all charges.
The verdict bookends a year that marked the essential disappearance of Hong Kong's democratic opposition under pressure from Beijing. The Democratic Party voted to disband on Sunday.
Lai's trial began in December 2023, with the verdict seen as a potential fresh diplomatic flashpoint in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.U.S. President Donald Trump had raised Lai's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in October and has said he would do his utmost to "save" Lai.
"I feel so badly," Trump said at the White House on Monday when asked by a reporter about Lai's conviction.
"I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release. He's not well. He's an older man and he's not well. So I did put that request out. We'll see what happens," Trump said, referring to the October meeting.
The British government, which is trying to build stronger economic ties with Beijing, condemned what it called the "politically-motivated prosecution" and called for Lai's immediate release. British foreign minister Yvette Cooper told parliament the Chinese ambassador to the UK had been summoned to underline the government's position on Lai's conviction in the "strongest terms".
China's foreign ministry criticised Britain, Australia, the United States and Germany for smearing Hong Kong's justice system. The Chinese embassy in London accused Britain of "blatantly" interfering in China's affairs, saying its colonial rule had come to an end and it had no right to "point fingers".
