Who is Jimmy Lai? Hong Kong media tycoon convicted for sedition, collusion with foreign forces

Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, was found guilty on December 15 in a major national security investigation, according to reports.

Three judges found Lai guilty of three counts in a national security pursuit in Hong Kong city court and could sentence him to life in prison, according to the AP report. He was convicted of conspiring with others to collude with foreign powers to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious articles.

Lai, who was arrested in 2020 under the national security law amid mass anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case, which began in 2023, according to an AFP report. His newspaper, the Apple Daily tabloid, supported the democracy movement and strongly criticized Beijing.

The AP report added that Lai’s investigation was conducted without a jury.

Who is Jimmy Lai?

Jimmy Lai was born in mainland China and moved to Hong Kong at the age of 12 as a stowaway on a fishing boat in the then British colony.

Born in mainland China, Lai was just 12 years old when he arrived in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat, hoping for a better life in the then British colony. He started working as a child worker in a glove factory and was introduced to the ready-made clothing industry here. He later founded the popular casual clothing chain Giordano in 1981.

But a pivotal moment for Lai was Beijing’s deadly crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989: His company printed T-shirts in support of the protests, and Lai began engaging with the media to spread information.

He founded Next Magazine in 1990 and Apple Daily five years later. The news outlet has attracted a strong following with its sometimes sensational news, investigative reporting and short animated video reports. The newspaper, which openly criticized the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, was received positively by pro-democracy readers.

In 1994, he insulted then-Chinese Premier Li Peng by calling him “son of a turtle egg”, an offensive insult in Chinese culture, after Li justified the Tiananmen crackdown. China cracked down on the Giordano brand and Lai was forced to sell his stake in the company.

An outspoken pro-democracy activist

Longtime friend Lee Wing-tat, himself an activist, said Lai was a firm believer in democracy, freedom and the “small government, big market” economic principle, which emphasizes free trade with minimal state intervention. Lee said it was shaped by his childhood experience in mainland China, where his family suffered under Communist Party rule, and his journey from rags to riches in the city.

Lee said Lai held informal meetings for pro-democracy lawmakers and academics to discuss food-related policies in the 1990s in the hope of influencing politicians.

He also took to the streets, including during major pro-democracy protests known as the Umbrella Movement in 2014, and donated to pro-democracy parties, including the one headed by Lee. His newspaper frequently called on its readers to join protests.

Lai was among the demonstrators during the leaderless anti-government protests in 2019. At the time, he met with then-US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss developments related to the withdrawn bill, which angered Beijing and sparked unrest.

Repression under national security law

In 2020, China’s national security law for Hong Kong emerged, aimed at suppressing protests. In response, Apple Daily launched a campaign encouraging its readers to petition US President Donald Trump to “save Hong Kong” during his first term.

During his hearing, Lai’s Apple Daily executives said he influenced the paper’s coverage, with one saying objections to the petition were set aside. Prosecutors accused him of asking staffers not to target Trump, and Lai later expressed hope he could help stop the American president’s national security law.

After the law came into force in June 2020, Lai told The Associated Press that “Hong Kong is dead.”

More than a month later, Lai was arrested under the law when police raided Apple Daily’s premises. The operation sent shockwaves through the local press. The arrest of the newspaper’s senior executives and the freezing of some of its assets in 2021 led to the suspension of publication.

Lai has been detained since December 2020, during which time he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison over allegations of fraud in a case unrelated to the security law.

During his current trial, prosecutors said he clearly betrayed the national interest by alleging that he conspired with others to collude with foreign powers and publish seditious materials. They pointed out Lai’s articles, text messages, social posts and live broadcast programs. Lai admitted that he had previously advocated foreign sanctions against China, but stopped once the law took effect. He argued in court that he did not intend to provoke.

“For in the kingdom of God the truth prevails, and that is enough for me,” he said.

The court rejected those claims, writing in an 855-page ruling that Lai’s campaign against the People’s Republic of China continued throughout most of his adult life and continued “in a less overt form” after the law was passed.

“There is no doubt that (Lai) harbored resentment and hatred towards the PRC for most of his adult years,” Juder Esther Toh said as she read the verdict.

Health concerns behind bars

The food lover nicknamed “Fat Lai” shrank in size in prison. His lawyer said in August that he was experiencing heart palpitations, but the government stated that a medical examination found no abnormalities.

Lai, a Roman Catholic, was crucified more than once behind bars, and his friend Robert Sirico, a priest living in the United States, also received one of the paintings.

Beijing called Lai an “agent and pawn of anti-China forces”. But Sirico said Lai told him he wanted China to do better, and after Lai encouraged him, the priest visited mainland China.

“He had a great love for China,” Sirico said, pointing to Lai’s art in his home and the meals they shared.

In the AP interview in 2020, Lai seemed undaunted.

“I don’t care if I have to go to jail. I don’t care,” he said. “I won’t have anything to worry about, I’ll just relax and do what I have to do.”