Media mogul Jimmy Lai, 78, imprisoned since 2020 in Hong Kong, was found guilty this Monday morning (14), local time, of charges of violating the national security law imposed by Beijing on the city in 2020.
Lai will be convicted of sedition and collusion with foreign forces, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The next step in the process will be the mitigation hearing, which is scheduled to begin on January 12. The sentence will be pronounced after this phase.
The verdict was announced after a trial that lasted 156 days, generated 855 pages of court rulings and was seen as a milestone in the application of Beijing’s national security law to Hong Kong.
One of the judges in the case, Esther Toh, said Lai had shown “hatred and resentment” toward China and that his statements to the court were inconsistent, contradictory and unreliable.
Founder and owner of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which closed in 2021 after a crackdown by authorities, Lai is the most prominent figure tried so far under the national security law in Hong Kong.
The accused, who was wearing a light green coat and cardigan, greeted his family members as he entered the courtroom. His wife and one of his children were present at the hearing.
The tycoon’s supporters, including journalist organizations and Apple Daily readers, remained inside and outside the courtroom as the verdict was announced. Some spent the night queuing to obtain one of the 507 permits to attend the plenary session.
During his detention period, Lai spent more than 1,800 days in prison, most of them in solitary confinement, according to his defense. His family members and human rights organizations expressed concern about his state of health, saying he was diabetic, hypertensive and suffering from heart problems, in addition to denouncing restrictions in access to adequate medical treatment.
THE Leaf in September, the Chinese regime said Hong Kong provided Lai with safe, humane and adequate conditions of detention, as well as appropriate diagnosis and medical treatment.
With Reuters
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