Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted on Monday in a landmark national security trial, a verdict that could see him sentenced to life in prison.
The 78-year-old was found guilty of conspiracies to commit sedition and to collude with foreign forces in a case that began in 2023.
Lai was arrested in 2020 under a China-imposed national security law following massive anti-government protests the previous year. His arrest and the subsequent closure of his Apple Daily newspaper, a tabloid-style publication that supported the democracy movement, marked a significant blow to free speech in Hong Kong.
Who is Jimmy Lai?
Often dubbed the “Rupert Murdoch of Asia,” Jimmy Lai came to Hong Kong at just 12 years old, arriving as a stowaway on a fishing boat in pursuit of opportunity in the then British colony. He started as a child labourer in a glove factory, where he gained his first exposure to the garment trade, before later founding the casual wear brand Giordano in 1981.
A turning point in Lai’s life came with Beijing’s deadly crackdown on the student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. His company printed T-shirts in support of the demonstrations, and the episode sparked his interest in using media to disseminate information.
Lai went on to found Next Magazine in 1990 and, five years later, Apple Daily. The newspaper built a large readership through sometimes sensational reporting, investigative scoops, and short animated video features. Openly critical of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, it was particularly popular among pro-democracy supporters.
In 1994, Lai drew Beijing’s ire after insulting then Chinese Premier Li Peng, calling him “the son of a turtle egg,” a deeply offensive slur in Chinese culture, after Li justified the Tiananmen crackdown. Chinese authorities subsequently pressured the Giordano brand, forcing Lai to sell his stake in the company, as cited by AP.
At the time of his first arrest in 2020, Lai was worth an estimated $1.2 billion, according to a biography by his longtime friend and associate Mark Clifford.
That year, he again personally joined protest actions, including a banned Tiananmen vigil in June 2020, where he stood outside his car holding a lit candle, an act for which he was later convicted and sentenced to 13 months in jail.
“I always had the knowledge that my dad was doing the right thing and not the easy thing” Sebastien, Lai's son, was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
In August 2020, just weeks after Beijing imposed the national security law, hundreds of police officers raided the offices of Apple Daily. Lai and several senior executives of the newspaper were arrested under the sweeping legislation, which targeted dissent. His two eldest sons, Ian and Timothy, were also detained. The company was ultimately forced to shut down the following year.
Lai has been in custody since December 2020 and was previously sentenced to five years and nine months in prison on fraud charges in a case unrelated to the national security law.
In the current trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces and publish seditious material, citing his articles, messages, social media posts and livestreams as evidence.
Lai acknowledged calling for foreign sanctions against China before the law came into force, but said he stopped afterwards and argued that he had no seditious intent. The court rejected his defence, ruling in its 855-page verdict that Lai’s campaign against the People’s Republic of China spanned much of his adult life and continued “in a less explicit way” after the law was enacted.
“Justice served”, says Hong Kong police, China welcomes verdict
Steve Li, chief superintendent of Hong Kong police’s national security department, described Lai’s conviction as “justice served.”
"The totality of evidence demonstrated that he himself repeatedly admitted that he was the boss. He was a prime master of offence, which was shown by the evidence," Li was quoted as saying by Reuters.
China said critics are attempting to smear Hong Kong’s justice system and urged relevant countries to respect its sovereignty.
Taiwan says Hong Kong ruling shows "erosion" of freedom
"This ruling serves as a declaration to the world that Hong Kong's freedoms, democracy, and judicial independence have been systematically eroded," said Taiwan's China policy-making mainland affairs council.
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