Hong Kong finds media mogul Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy and sedition, faces possible life in prison

The verdict, announced amid great media excitement, puts an end to a five-year judicial process, although the final sentence will not be known until next January.

During the reading, Judge Esther Toh – one of the three judges that make up the court – considered it proven that Lai conspired with third parties to undermine national security and that the accused harbors “hatred and resentment” against China. This conviction marks the end of the democratic era in Hong Kong for many.

The session at the West Kowloon judicial complex was held under extraordinary security and in front of an influx of public, media and diplomats from Western countries, including The United Kingdom, which has criticized and considers the trial against Lai politically motivated, who has British citizenship.

The newspaper editor Apple Dailyimprisoned since 2020, saw his newspaper closed in 2021 after a raid involving 500 agents that resulted in the freezing of its assets and the arrest of part of its management.

Prosecutors accused the outlet—founded in 1995—of publishing articles that, according to the indictment,encouraged participation in pro-democracy protests against the extradition bill in 2019.

They also maintained that Lai acted as the “brains and financial support” of the group. Stand with Hong Kong, to which they attribute international campaigns to pressure foreign governments and promote sanctions against local and Chinese authorities.

The Prosecutor’s Office insisted that Lai used his media platform to request international support and promote “organized hostility” against Hong Kong and Beijing.

Meanwhile, the defense replied that Apple Daily represented legitimate positions in the public debate and that freedom of the press protected its editorial line.

The businessman’s lawyers argued that a newspaper should enjoy a broader margin of expression and that the prosecution interpreted constitutionally protected opinions as sedition.

National Security Law

The failure of this process, formally initiated in December 2023 and marked by political tensions, is due to Lai’s prominence, one of the most relevant since the entry into force of the National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

One of the most controversial moments was the exclusion of the British lawyer Timothy Owen, after Beijing enabled the Hong Kong chief executive to veto the participation of foreign jurists in national security cases.

As a consequence, the trial was held without a jury and before a panel of three judges appointed specifically for this type of case, in a format that has become the norm since the massive and sometimes violent demonstrations of 2019.

Lai’s personal situation has sparked international concern and his children have reported notable physical deterioration after almost five years in solitary confinement, but the Hong Kong authorities assure that he receives adequate medical care and reject that he is subjected to inadequate treatment.

The case also reached the diplomatic level: the American president, Donald Trumpclaimed to have raised the case with Beijing, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared that his situation is a “priority” for London.

Beijing, for its part, accuses both countries of interfering in China’s internal affairs and maintains that Hong Kong courts act independently and in accordance with local law.

The trial against Lai and his diary has become a symbol of the political and legal transformation experienced by the former colony in recent years, marked by a gradual erosion of rights and freedoms and illustrated by the dissolution of civil organizations, opposition parties and profound changes in the functioning of the judicial and electoral systems.