Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy campaigners, is facing life in prison after being convicted of breaking a national security law.
Human rights groups have condemned the verdict, which came after a 156-day trial over charges of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and conspiracy to collude with foreign powers.
Lai, 78, is the former owner of the Apple Daily tabloid which campaigned for democracy in Hong Kong as the Chinese government gradually exerted more control over the territory.
It played a prominent role in supporting the pro-democracy protests that took place in 2019 and 2020, which resulted in a forceful response from those in power.
The newspaper was shut down after pressure in June 2021 from the authorities, and Lai has been in jail since December 2020.
He is expected to be sentenced early in the new year following the guilty verdict.
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What is Jimmy Lai’s background?
Jimmy Lai originally came to prominence as a successful businessman, the founder of international clothing brand Giordano.
He had arrived in Hong Kong when he was 12 years old, while the territory was still under British control – and he remains a British citizen.
The tycoon’s political side emerged in public when he began writing columns criticising the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, when Chinese government troops brutally quashed student-led demonstrations.
In the following years, Lai founded a raft of publications including Next Magazine – which began in 1990 – and Apple Daily, which first appeared in 1995.
A Catholic, Lai is said to have named Apple Daily after the forbidden fruit eaten by Eve in the Garden of Eden which introduced the concept of good and evil.
These outlets published stories that were openly critical of the Chinese government, which took over control of the territory from the UK in 1997.
Pressure on the publishing empire became overwhelming when China introduced the controversial national security law (NSL) in 2020.
This legislation reduced Hong Kong’s autonomy in a number of ways, 13 years after the supposed principle of ‘one country, two systems’ was established.
It also cracked down further on dissent, a response to the enormous protests that had filled city streets in previous months.
Lai was already considered an icon of the pro-democracy movement when he was put in prison at the end of 2020.
He had spoken about Hong Kong’s situation with then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Donald Trump’s first term as US President – meetings flagged by prosecutors in his trial.
Today, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: ‘We completely condemn the verdict.
‘We will continue to appeal to the Chinese government ahead of Jimmy Lai’s sentencing for his release and access to medical treatment.
‘Jimmy Lai’s case has been a priority for this Government and the Prime Minister, and as the Foreign Secretary has said, we condemn the politically motivated prosecution that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict.’
Starmer is expected to make an official visit to Beijing next year.
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