A Hong Kong court has convicted Jimmy Lai, the city’s prominent media tycoon, on two national security charges and one sedition count after a 52-week trial.
The 78-year-old self-made billionaire, who built empires in fashion and publishing, is the highest-profile defendant under the 2020 National Security Law. Passed after 2019 protests that drew up to 2 million people, it curbs secession, subversion, and foreign interference.
Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995, a pro-democracy paper with 500,000+ daily copies that savaged Beijing until its 2021 closure amid arrests. He pleaded not guilty but now faces life imprisonment. The ruling ends a global flashpoint saga, with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing to “get him out.” Lai has spent over 1,800 days in solitary at Stanley Prison since 2020, plus a 2022 fraud sentence.
The law has jailed 300+ activists, dissolved groups like the Civil Human Rights Front, and shifted Hong Kong to “patriots only” rule after 2019’s HK$100 billion chaos.
Judges found “no doubt that (Lai) had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) for many of his adult years,” citing pre-law U.S. lobbying with Pence and Pompeo, WhatsApp chats, and a 2020 New York Times piece urging visa bans.
The court ordered “absolute silence” for the verdict; Lai waved to family, wiped his face, and left calmly. Supporters, queuing overnight, called it predictable amid jury-less trials.
From Cultural Revolution refugee to Giordano founder, Lai backed 2019 protests against extradition bills. “Mr. President, you’re the only one who can save us… stop China’s aggressions,” he told CNN in 2020.
Late-trial health issues—palpitations, diabetes—worried kin. Daughter Claire wrote “solitary confinement is taking its toll” although authorities claim full care at Lai’s request.