Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Convicted Under National Security Law

On December 15, 2025, Hong Kong's High Court convicted 78-year-old media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai on charges of colluding with foreign forces and publishing seditious material under the national security law imposed by Beijing.

Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, has been detained since December 2020. The trial, which began in December 2023 and spanned over 1.5 years, was conducted without a jury. Prosecutors presented evidence of Lai's meetings with U.S. officials and his publications as attempts to destabilize the Chinese Communist Party.

The court stated that Lai "had harbored his hatred and resentment for the [People’s Republic of China] for many of his adult years" and sought the downfall of its ruling Communist Party.

International rights groups and foreign governments have criticized the trial, viewing it as a politically motivated attack on press freedom. China's Foreign Ministry expressed strong dissatisfaction with such criticism, urging respect for China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's legal system.

Lai faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing hearings scheduled for January. His family has raised concerns over his deteriorating health during his five-year detention, much of it in solitary confinement.