Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai found guilty of violating national security

Hong Kong, China – A Hong Kong court has convicted Jimmy Lai, a prominent media tycoon and staunch critic of Beijing, in a landmark national security case. The court found 78-year-old Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiring with foreign powers to endanger national security and publishing seditious articles.

The case was being tried under Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law, which was implemented in 2019 following anti-government protests. The court concluded that Lai conspired with foreign powers to undermine Hong Kong’s security. However, Lai has pleaded not guilty. The court has taken additional time to decide on his sentence, and he could face life imprisonment under the National Security Law.

Lai was arrested in August 2020 and has been convicted of several minor offenses. His family members, including his wife and son, as well as Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen, were present at the hearing.

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Jimmy Lai, who now looks frailer and thinner than ever, founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper once considered a symbol of Hong Kong’s independence. The court convicted him of colluding with foreign powers to endanger national security and spreading seditious material.