Hong Kong Court Convicts Apple Daily Founder Jimmy Lai, Raising Prospect of Life Sentence

A Hong Kong court on Monday found jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty under the city’s sweeping national security law, a verdict that could see the outspoken critic of Beijing spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Lai, 78, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, has been held for more than 1,800 days despite sustained international pressure for his release. The High Court said sentencing will be announced as soon as possible, with final arguments expected in January.

According to the South China Morning Post and the Associated Press, the court convicted Lai on all three charges he faced, including collusion with foreign forces and the publication of seditious materials. The ruling marks one of the most consequential verdicts yet under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

In delivering the decision, the presiding judge said Lai’s testimony was inconsistent and lacked credibility. The court also noted that it had weighed the possibility that alleged co-conspirators may have provided false testimony in hopes of securing lighter sentences.

The court ordered Lai’s legal team to submit written mitigation arguments by January 2. A sentencing hearing to consider any extenuating circumstances is scheduled for January 12, with a final ruling on punishment expected later that month. Under the national security law, Lai could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Once one of Hong Kong’s most prominent media figures, Lai was arrested in August 2020, just weeks after the national security law took effect, and formally charged later that year. The law was enacted in the wake of the city’s massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 and criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces.

Founded in 1995 ahead of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China, Apple Daily became known for its aggressive reporting and vocal criticism of Beijing. The newspaper shut down in June 2021 after authorities froze its assets and arrested senior editors, a move widely seen as signaling the end of press freedom as it had once existed in the city.

Lai’s current trial began in December 2023. He is already serving multiple sentences, including 20 months for organizing unauthorized assemblies and 69 months for fraud related to the use of Apple Daily’s office space. In total, he has been imprisoned for more than five years.

The case has drawn sharp international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump previously urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Lai, citing bilateral relations and China’s global image, during a U.S.–China leaders’ meeting in Busan. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also said securing the release of Lai, a British citizen, would be a top priority for his government.

As Lai awaits sentencing, diplomats and rights groups say the outcome will be closely watched as a litmus test for Hong Kong’s judicial independence and the future of free expression in the city.