Hong Kong publisher found guilty of charges under national security law, sedition

Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai on Monday was found guilty on all three counts he was facing, including "conspiring to collude with foreign forces" as well as sedition under colonial-era legislation.

He faces a maximum life sentence.

A four-day mitigation hearing will be held beginning on Jan. 12, the court said, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

The charges of "conspiring to collude with foreign forces" were filed under a national security law which China imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, following year-long anti-government protests.

Judge Esther Toh told the courtroom that Lai's testimony was "evasive" and "unreliable," saying his actions amounted to "an American urging Russia to topple the US government."

Lai, 78, held "resentment and hatred towards China from an early stage," she said.

In a judgment over 850 pages long, the judges said Lai's intent was "to seek the downfall of (the Chinese Communist Party) at the cost of the interests of people in Hong Kong and mainland China."

Lai, a Hong Kong businessman and former media executive, was accused of "conspiring to collude with foreign forces" and of conspiring to publish "seditious" materials as the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily.

After being detained late 2020, Lai's 156-day trial began in December 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the two charges of colluding with foreign forces and the sedition charge.

"Three companies, namely Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited, were also convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material," according to public broadcaster RTHK.