Pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai, Photo: Liau Chung-ren / Zuma Press / Profimedia
A Hong Kong court has found billionaire media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of complicity with foreign forces under Hong Kong's controversial national security law, the BBC notes.
The 78-year-old, who said goodbye to his family as he was escorted out of court, faces life in prison.
The trial was seen both in Hong Kong and abroad as a barometer of political freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and was a source of tension between Beijing and the West, the Financial Times also notes
Lai was first arrested in 2020 and has already spent almost five years in detention. He was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for his involvement in “unauthorized” anti-government protests and vigils in 2019 and 2020, organized to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
His family and UK legal team say his health has deteriorated while incarcerated and he has been denied access to specialist doctors to treat his diabetes. Hong Kong authorities called the allegations “completely unfounded”.
Lai, a British citizen and fierce critic of the Chinese state, was a key figure in the pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019.
Beijing has responded to months of demonstrations by introducing the National Security Law (NSL), saying it is essential for the city's stability.
But critics say the law was only aimed at crushing dissent, sending many activists like Lai to prison.
US President Trump had previously vowed to “do everything possible to rescue” Lai, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his release was a “priority”
Lai's legal team has not decided whether to appeal
“The ruling is so long that we will need some time to study it first. I have nothing to add at this time,” said Robert Pang, who represented the media mogul in the National Security Act lawsuit, when asked about the possibility of an appeal.
Lai now joins dozens of pro-democracy activists who have been jailed under the national security law in recent years.
Last November, 45 people were arrested for conspiracy to subvert – they were part of a group of activists and lawmakers dubbed the “Hong Kong 47” who were promoting the election of opposition candidates in local elections.
Many of them well-known activists, including former MPs Claudia Mo and Leung Kwok-hung, who spent much of their careers fighting for a free Hong Kong.
Two of the 47 people in Hong Kong were acquitted early last year.
