Jimmy Lai verdict: Hong Kong court finds democracy advocate and media tycoon guilty of sedition and collusion

A court in Hong Kong has found British media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai guilty of multiple charges of sedition and foreign collusion, in a landmark moment for the city’s draconian national security laws and dwindling press freedoms.

Lai, 78, faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. He is expected to be sentenced early next year.

British national who was the founder of the now defunct company Apple Daily The newspaper in Hong Kong was arrested in 2020, shortly after Beijing introduced tough new national security laws as part of a crackdown on mass anti-government protests in 2019.

On Monday, judge Esther Toh said Lai’s actions “leave no room for doubt” that he “harbors resentment” against the Chinese government.

“The evidence clearly shows that [Lai] clearly conspired with senior management Apple Daily and corporate entities that count number one and number two,” he said.

“There is indisputable evidence of this. [Lai] “We conspired with the third-count conspirators to solicit foreign countries to impose sanctions, blockade or other hostile activities against the PRC, the HKSAR, or both,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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