Former Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Media Mogul Jimmy Lai Convicted In Landmark Trial

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy LaiPro-democracy former Hong Kong resident media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing convicted of landmark national security crime hearing Monday in city court, which could land him in prison for the rest of his life.

Three government-supervised judges found Lai, 78, guilty of colluding with foreign powers to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious articles. He denied all charges.

Lai was arrested as part of an investigation in August 2020. National security law imposed by Beijing This was implemented following mass anti-government protests in 2019. Lai spent five years in detention, most of it in solitary confinement, and appears to have become weaker and emaciated. He was also convicted fewer crimes regarding allegations of fraud and his actions in 2019.

Lai’s hearingThe trial, conducted without a jury, is being closely watched by the United States, Britain, the European Union and political observers as a barometer of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Reading the 855-page ruling, Judge Esther Toh said Lai had made “constant invitations” to the United States to help overthrow the Chinese government under the pretext of helping Hong Kong people.

During the hearing, Lai’s lawyers admitted that he had called for sanctions before the law took effect, but insisted that he had abandoned those calls to comply with the law.

But the judges ruled that Lai never abandoned his intention to destabilize the ruling Chinese Communist Party and “continued in a less overt manner.”

Toh said the court was convinced that Lai was the mastermind of the conspiracies and that Lai’s evidence was at times contradictory and unreliable. The judges concluded that the only reasonable inference that could be drawn from the evidence was that Lai’s sole intention, before and after the security law, was to try to bring down the ruling Communist Party, at the sacrifice of the people of China and Hong Kong.

“This was the ultimate goal of conspiracies and separatist publications,” they wrote.

Among the attendees were Lai’s wife and son and Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen. Lai nodded to his family before being led out of the courtroom.

His decision is also a test for Beijing’s diplomatic relations. US President Donald Trump said he raised the issue with China and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer He said his government has made it a priority to ensure the release of British citizen Lai.

Founder of now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily Sentencing will be given at a later day.

The collusion charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Hearings where Lai and other defendants in the case will seek a shorter sentence were set to begin on January 12.

Apple Daily, which criticizes the Hong Kong government and Beijing Forced to close in 2021 with authorities after police raided the newsroom and arrested senior journalists. freeze assets.

During Lai’s 156-day trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring with Apple Daily’s top executives and others to solicit foreign powers to impose sanctions or blockades and take other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.

The prosecution also accused That Lai made such demands was highlighted by his meetings with former US Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the height of the protests in July 2019.

Also presented 161 publicationsApple Daily articles were presented to the court as evidence, along with social media posts and text messages.

Lai testified He spent 52 days defending himself, arguing that he had not called for foreign sanctions following the sweeping security law that took effect in June 2020.

His legal team also defended freedom of expression.

As the trial progressed, Lai’s health appeared to deteriorate.

Lai’s lawyers told the court in August that he was suffering from heart palpitations. After the verdict, lawyer Robert Pang said his client was in good spirits while the legal team reviewed the verdict.

Before the verdict, his daughter Claire told The Associated Press that her father had become emaciated and had lost some nails and teeth. He also said he suffered from infections, constant back pain, diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure for months.

“His spirit is strong but his body is weakening,” he said.

The Hong Kong government said a medical examination after Lai complained of heart problems found no abnormalities. It was added that the medical services provided to him this month were sufficient.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Lai was harming the country’s core interests and had bad intentions.

Steve Li, chief chief of the Hong Kong police’s National Security Department, disputed claims outside the courthouse that Lai’s health condition was deteriorating.

“With Lai’s conviction, justice has been served,” he told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on channel X that her country condemned the politically motivated investigation that resulted in a guilty verdict and would continue to call for his release.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China “expressed opposition to the denigration” of the city’s judiciary by certain countries and urged them to respect the city’s legal system.

Rights groups, including global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International, criticized the decision.

Thibaut Bruttin, executive director of Reporters Without Borders, said: “It is not a person who is on trial, but the freedom of the press itself, and it has been shattered by this decision.”

However, Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang said the decision had nothing to do with press freedom.

Before sunrise, dozens of residents lined up outside the courthouse to reserve a seat in the courtroom.

Former Apple Daily employee Tammy Cheung arrived at 5 a.m. and said she wanted to know about Lai’s condition following reports of his health.

He said he felt the process had been rushed, as the verdict date was only announced last Friday, but added: “I’m relieved that this case can at least be concluded soon.”

Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.