Jimmy Lai found guilty on all counts in Hong Kong national-security trial; faces possible life sentence

Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily, was found guilty on all counts in a national security trial, the High Court announced Monday. The most serious charge, colluding with foreign forces, carries a maximum life sentence. The verdict marks a decisive moment in Beijing's crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong and signals that prosecutors will continue to pursue cases under the city's National Security Law, which went into effect in 2020.

The court described Lai as harbouring "a rabid hatred" of the Chinese Communist Party and said he had hoped the party would be ousted or, at minimum, that its leader Xi Jinping would be removed. The 156-day trial concluded that Lai’s conduct—ranging from public appeals for foreign intervention to outspoken opposition to Beijing’s authority over Hong Kong—amounted to acts that threatened national security. The most serious count, colluding with foreign forces, carries a maximum life sentence. Lai testified that his advocacy for Hong Kong’s values—rule of law, freedom, democracy, free speech, freedom of religion and assembly—was defensive, not a call for foreign interference, but the court rejected that framing in its verdict.

Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, welcomed the verdict, saying Lai used Apple Daily to "glorify violence" and to sow social conflict. Lee argued that the National Security Law was necessary to curb unrest and protect the city’s sovereignty, a stance that reflects the broader government position on dissent in Hong Kong since the 2019 protests. The government framed Lai’s case as a test of the city’s legal framework and its ability to prevent interference from foreign actors, while critics warned that the proceedings undermined press freedom and due process in a city once celebrated for its freewheeling media scene.

Lai’s life story reads like a hinge in Hong Kong’s modern history. Born in China, he fled to Hong Kong at the age of 12 with his family as Mao Zedong’s campaigns reshaped the mainland. He started in manufacturing, rising from a textile worker to building Giordano into a regional fast-fashion chain before turning to media in the mid-1990s. Apple Daily became one of Hong Kong’s best-known newspapers, an outlet that combined bold reporting with a populist, anti-Beijing stance that delighted many readers and drew the ire of authorities. Lai’s advocacy for democracy put him at the center of Beijing’s push to curb dissent in the city as Hong Kong negotiated its post-colonial future under the “one country, two systems” framework.

The 2019 protests further polarized Hong Kong, with Lai at the forefront of a movement his supporters characterized as defending civil liberties. Apple Daily provided blanket coverage of the demonstrations and was accused by officials of promoting unlawful assemblies and other offences under the security framework. In 2020, after the security law took effect, Apple Daily was raided, its assets frozen, and the newspaper shut down in 2021. Lai faced multiple charges linked to the security law in a case that stretched over more than a year and a half, drawing international attention and deep concern among free-expression advocates.

During the period of Lai’s detention, he remained a symbol for many in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. In a winter morning in 2022, he and two younger activists, Raphael Wong and Figo Chan, met at Stanley Prison where Lai was being held, sharing prayers and conversation. Wong recalled that Lai’s Catholic faith deepened in solitary confinement; Lai reportedly prayed six hours a day and drew Christian imagery, sending drawings to friends. Wong added that Lai, though suffering, maintained a sense of peace and refused to complain. He was reportedly careful with his health—Lai is diabetic—and his family has long pressed for his release on humanitarian grounds, a push that has not yet succeeded.

Lai’s professional arc—from a migrant worker in Hong Kong to a fashion entrepreneur, then a media mogul—was inseparable from his political stance. In interviews and public statements, Lai framed the struggle for Hong Kong’s freedoms as a defense of the city’s autonomy and an expression of his own life’s work in a place he said had afforded him opportunity and influence. Still, his outspoken advocacy for Western-style liberalism and his willingness to challenge Beijing’s authority placed him squarely in the crosshairs of national-security authorities. The court’s verdict, delivered after a 156-day trial, underscores the difficult balance that Hong Kong now faces between upholding the rule of law and ensuring stable governance under a security regime endorsed by Beijing.

Lai’s family, including his wife Teresa and son Shun-yan, were among those who attended the verdict in a courtroom that also hosted Cardinal Joseph Zen, who had baptised Lai in 1997. The family’s perspective has been central to the ongoing debate about health, safety, and the long-term viability of Hong Kong’s political and social fabric. Carmen Tsang, Lai’s daughter-in-law, spoke of a family life altered by the crackdown, noting that Lai’s grandchildren miss the family gatherings he often hosted. Health concerns have been a persistent theme for Lai, who has faced diabetes and related medical considerations while in custody; supporters argue that medical care must be demonstrably adequate, while opponents say the longer-term effects of detention are a separate risk.

The verdict intensifies a broader narrative about press freedom and political dissent in Hong Kong. Critics say the security regime has chilled journalism and led to an exodus of editors, reporters and activists, changing the city’s public sphere in ways that may outlast any single legal decision. Proponents of the security framework insist that the measures were necessary to curb violence and protect national sovereignty, arguing that accountability for anti-government activities is essential to Beijing’s governance of the territory.

As prosecutors prepare for sentencing, Lai remains in custody. The timing and terms of any sentence will hinge on court processes, with observers watching closely for signals about how Hong Kong will navigate the tension between civil liberties and national-security priorities in the years ahead. International observers, human-rights advocates, and business leaders alike are watching how Hong Kong’s courts apply the law to cases involving media ownership, political expression, and calls for foreign involvement, and what that portends for the city’s status on the global stage.