Court Convicts Ex–Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Publisher Jimmy Lai

Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, has been convicted in a landmark national security trial that could send him to prison for the rest of his life, Kanis Leung and Chan Ho-him reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Lai was arrested in August 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law enacted after massive anti-government protests in 2019. (Photo: Iris Tong, Voice of America)

Three government-vetted judges found Lai, 78, guilty of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious articles.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Lai was arrested in August 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law enacted after massive anti-government protests in 2019. During his five years in custody, Lai has been sentenced for several lesser offenses and has appeared increasingly frail.

Entering the courtroom wearing a gray blazer, Lai smiled and waved to the public gallery.

Attendees included his wife and son, as well as Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen.

The jury-free trial has been closely monitored by the United States, Britain, the European Union, and political observers as a test of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The verdict is also seen as a barometer of Beijing’s diplomatic ties. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he raised the case with China, while U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said securing Lai’s release is a priority for his government.

Lai is a British citizen.