**HONG KONG** – Hong Kong media tycoon and prominent democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been found guilty on charges of national security and sedition, a verdict delivered by the city's High Court on Monday that signals a significant escalation in the crackdown on dissent and deals a profound blow to press freedom. The convictions, stemming from allegations that Lai orchestrated a conspiracy to destabilise the Chinese government through his now-defunct newspaper, Apple Daily, and by soliciting foreign interference, represent a watershed moment for the former British colony’s autonomy.
Lai, the founder of the popular pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, faces a potential life sentence after being convicted of conspiring to publish seditious material and two counts of colluding with foreign forces. The court also found three corporate entities associated with Apple Daily guilty of the foreign collusion charges. This legal judgment comes after a protracted trial spanning over two years, culminating in an 855-page ruling by a panel of three judges: Esther Toh, Alex Lee, and Susana D’Almada Remedios. Justice Toh, in her judgment, asserted that Lai was the "mastermind" behind concerted efforts to undermine Beijing's authority, stating, "There is no doubt in our mind that the first defendant never wavered in his intention to destabilise the governance of the CCP... and despite the enactment of the national security law, he was intent on continuing, though in a less explicit way."
The charges against Lai were brought under both Hong Kong's sweeping national security law, enacted in 2020 following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, and a colonial-era sedition statute. Prosecutors contended that Lai leveraged Apple Daily and his international connections to lobby for sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials. His detention since December 2020 has underscored the precarious position of dissenting voices in the city.
In parallel developments, Hong Kong’s last major opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), voted to disband over the weekend. Senior party members have indicated that this dissolution was precipitated by implicit threats of severe repercussions, including potential arrest, should they refuse to cease operations. Lo Kin-hei, the DP’s chair, confirmed the vote, with 117 members favouring disbandment and only four abstentions out of 121 cast. This move further erodes the political landscape for opposition in Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under the "one country, two systems" framework.
International human rights organisations have vehemently condemned the verdict. Amnesty International decried the outcome, stating, "the essential work of journalism has been rebranded as a crime." Similarly, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch have voiced grave concerns, characterising the conviction as a stark illustration of the systematic suppression of dissent and a chilling warning to businesses operating in Hong Kong regarding the escalating legal risks. The case is widely perceived as a critical test of the "one country, two systems" principle, with many observers seeing the judicial proceedings against Lai as an indictment of the erosion of freedoms promised to the city.