Jimmy Lai, former Hong Kong media mogul and devout catholic has been found guilty of sedition and collusion in a landmark national security case.
Lai was charged in 2020 for using his independent media outlet to produce seditious materials against Hong Kong and China and colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security.
Supporters of Lai, including United States and United Kingdon say that the charges are politically motivated and the case was designed to silence on of the region’s most prominent pro-democracy activists.
In delivering the verdict, Judge Esther Toh told the court that Lai had carried a “hatred and resentment” toward the People’s Republic of China “for many of his adult years.”
Lai’s case has emerged as the most prominent example of Beijing’s tightening control over rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, following the implementation of a broad national security law after the mass pro-democracy protests of 2019.
He will now await sentencing, facing charges that could carry a potential life prison term.
At the time of his arrest, Lai was charged with using the Apple Daily platform to collaborate with six former executives and others in producing seditious publications from April 2019 to June 2021, as well as conspiring with foreign forces between July 2020 and June 2021.
Judge Toh further stated that there was clear and undeniable evidence that “Lai conspired with others, including his Apple Daily staff, to undermine national security.”
The trial was conducted by a panel of three government-approved judges, without the involvement of a jury.
Both the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities maintain that Lai received a fair trial.
The outcome of the case is being viewed as a key test of China’s diplomatic relations with nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom.