Hong Kong tycoon found guilty in landmark national security case

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and mogul Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of colluding with foreign forces under the city’s controversial national security law.

The 78-year-old, who has been in prison since December 2020, has pleaded not guilty. He faces life imprisonment and is expected to be sentenced early next year.

Lai used his now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily as part of a broader effort The court concluded that this case aims to pressure foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee welcomed the ruling, noting that Lai’s actions “harmed the country’s interests and the well-being of Hong Kong people,” but human rights groups described it as a “cruel judicial farce.”

They say the national security law, which Beijing defends as essential to the city’s stability, has been used to crush dissent.

Delivering the ruling on Monday, Judge Esther Toh said there was “no doubt” that Jimmy Lai “bears hatred” for the People’s Republic of China, noting his “continuous call for the United States to help bring down the government of the People’s Republic of China under the pretext of helping the people of Hong Kong.”

when Lai testified in NovemberHe denied all the charges against him, saying he had “never” used his foreign contacts to influence Hong Kong’s foreign policy.

In response to a question about his meeting with then US Vice President Mike Pence, Lai said that he did not ask him anything: “I will only convey to him what happened in Hong Kong when he asked me.”

He was also asked about his meeting with then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, where he said he asked Pompeo “to do nothing, but to say something, to express his support for Hong Kong.”

Lai, a British citizen and one of the Chinese state’s most vocal critics, was a key figure in the pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. Beijing responded to months-long demonstrations, which sometimes erupted into violent clashes with police, by introducing a national security law.

The law was enacted without consulting Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, and gave authorities broad powers to charge and imprison people they consider a threat to law and order in the city, or to the stability of the government.

Lai was charged with violating the national security law for his role in the protests and also through his popular newspaper Apple Daily, which became a standard-bearer for the pro-democracy movement.

Monday’s ruling also found Lai guilty of publishing seditious material on the Apple Daily website under a separate colonial-era law.

Lai appeared calm as the verdict was read and waved goodbye to his family as he was escorted out of the courtroom. Lai’s wife, Teresa, and one of his sons attended court, along with Cardinal Joseph Zen, an old friend who baptized Lai in 1997.

“Mr. Lai’s soul is fine,” his lawyer Robert Pang said after the ruling. “The ruling is so long that we will need some time to study it first. I have nothing to add at the moment.” He did not say whether they would appeal.

The United Kingdom condemned what it described as “politically motivated persecution” against Lai, saying that he was “targeted… because of his peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression.”

“The UK has repeatedly called for the National Security Act to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement on Monday.

“The Chinese government has abused Jimmy Lai with the aim of silencing anyone who dares to criticize the Chinese Communist Party [Chinese Communist Party]Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said after the ruling:

“In light of the farce witnessed in the Jimmy Lai case, governments must pressure the authorities to withdraw the case and release him immediately.”

Western governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have for years called for Lai’s release, which Beijing and Hong Kong have rejected.

US President Donald Trump had previously pledged to “do everything in his power to rescue” Lai, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that securing his release was a “priority.”

Lai’s trial is widely seen as another test of the judicial independence of Hong Kong’s courts, which have been accused of toeing Beijing’s line since 2019, when it tightened its control over the city.

Hong Kong authorities insist the rule of law is sound, but critics point to the hundreds of protesters and activists who have been jailed under the national security law — and a conviction rate that had reached nearly 100% as of May this year.

Bail is often denied in national security cases, and this was the case with Lai as well, although human rights groups and Lai’s children have raised concerns about his deteriorating health. He was reportedly held in solitary confinement.

Lai’s son Sebastian told the BBC earlier this year that his father’s “body is breaking down” – “given his age, given his health… He dies in prison“.

The Hong Kong government has also been criticized for prohibiting foreign lawyers from working on national security cases without obtaining prior permission. They said this posed a risk to national security, even though foreign lawyers have worked in the city’s courts for decades. Lai was subsequently denied the choice of a UK-based lawyer.

Lai now joins dozens of pro-democracy movement figures in the city who have been sentenced to prison under the national security law.

The head of Hong Kong’s National Security Police addressed the media after the ruling, saying that Lai had “fabricated news” in pursuit of “political goals.”

On the mainland, the state-run Global Times quoted a member of Hong Kong’s Election Commission as saying the case sends a “clear message”: “Any attempt to divide the country or undermine Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability will be met with severe punishment under the law.”

Lay, Who was born in mainland ChinaHe fled to Hong Kong when he was 12 years old and began his career as an entrepreneur after founding the global clothing brand Giordano.

His journey as a democracy activist began after China brutally crushed pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Lai began writing columns critical of the massacre and went on to launch a series of popular pro-democracy publications, including Apple Daily and Next.

Even now, he is seen by many Hong Kongers as a leading voice for democracy, with about 80 people queuing to enter the court ahead of Monday’s ruling.

One of them was Ms. Lam, who did not want to share her full name. Holding an apple in her hand, she said she started standing in line around 11:00 local time on Sunday — almost a full day before the hearing — because dozens of people had preceded her. She said it was a cold night, but she did it because she wanted to wish Lai good luck.

A former Apple Daily journalist, who was also in court, told the BBC: “We all feel frustrated and helpless. However, there must be an end to the whole case, and the time will come when the time is right.”

“Jimmy always said he was indebted to Hong Kong…but I think Hong Kong and most Hong Kong people are very grateful for his upholding the basic values, good faith and integrity of society at the expense of his own well-being and personal freedom.”

Lai said in his testimony that he “never allowed” his newspaper staff to advocate for Hong Kong’s independence, which he described as a “conspiracy” and “too crazy to think about.”

“Apple Daily’s core values ​​are actually the core values ​​of the Hong Kong people,” he said. He added that these values ​​include “the rule of law, freedom, the pursuit of democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly.”