Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai was convicted Monday of two counts of conspiring with foreign agents and one count of seditious publication, in a case that drew sharp criticism from Western countries.
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“We are convinced that (Lai) never gave up his intention to destabilize the (Chinese Communist Party) government,” High Court Justice Esther Toh said in a statement. She added that “the ultimate price was the sacrifice of the interests of the people” of China and Hong Kong.
Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, has been detained since 2020 and the charges against him have been criticized as an example of the erosion of freedoms under China’s national security law imposed following mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
Prosecutors say Lai, 78, was the mastermind of two plots to have foreign countries impose “sanctions or blockades” or carry out “hostile activities” against Hong Kong and China. He was also accused of publishing documents that they said “provoked discontent” against the government.
“There is no doubt that (Lai) has harbored resentment and hatred towards the PRC (People’s Republic of China) for much of his adult life, and this is evident in his articles,” Toh said.
Lai, dressed in a green sweater and gray jacket, appeared calm as he listened to the verdicts, his arms crossed and without saying a word.
International human rights organizations have criticized the move, seeing it as a way to silence dissent. “This verdict reveals that Hong Kong’s so-called national security laws are not about protecting people, but about silencing them,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China director.
She added that the move “is the latest step in the systematic crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong, not just against protesters and political parties, but against the very idea that people can – and, indeed, should – hold power to account.”
In turn, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the decision a “farce” and a “shameful act of persecution.” “This decision highlights Hong Kong’s complete disregard for press freedom, which should be protected by the city’s mini-constitution,” CPJ noted.
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