Former Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai convicted in
landmark national security trial
[December 15, 2025]
By KANIS LEUNG
HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media
mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in a landmark
national security trial in the city’s court on Monday, which could send
him to prison for the rest of his life.
Three government-vetted judges found Lai, 78, guilty of conspiring with
others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and
conspiracy to publish seditious articles. He pleaded not guilty to all
charges.
Lai was arrested in August 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national
security law that was implemented following massive anti-government
protests in 2019. Lai has spent five years in custody, much of it in
solitary confinement, and his family said his health has declined
rapidly. He has also been convicted of several lesser offenses related
to fraud allegations and his actions in 2019.
Lai’s trial, conducted without a jury, has been closely monitored by the
U.S., Britain, the European Union and political observers as a barometer
of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony,
which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Sebastien Lai, one of his children, said the family was saddened but not
surprised by the verdict.
“In the 800-page verdict they have there is essentially nothing, nothing
that incriminates him," he told reporters in London. “This is a perfect
example of how the national security law has been molded and weaponized
against someone who essentially said stuff that they didn’t like."
“This verdict proves that the authorities still fear our father, even in
his weakened state, for what he represents,” his daughter Claire said in
a statement. “We stand by his innocence and condemn this miscarriage of
justice.”
Court said Lai spent years plotting against Beijing
Reading from an 855-page verdict, Judge Esther Toh said that Lai had
extended a “constant invitation” to the U.S. to help bring down the
Chinese government with the excuse of helping Hong Kongers.
Lai’s lawyers admitted during the trial that he had called for sanctions
before the law took effect, but insisted he dropped these calls to
comply with the law.
But the judges ruled that Lai had never wavered in his intention to
destabilize the ruling Chinese Communist Party, “continuing though in a
less explicit way."
Toh said the court was satisfied that Lai was the mastermind of the
conspiracies and that Lai's evidence was at times contradictory and
unreliable. The judges ruled that the only reasonable inference from the
evidence was that Lai’s only intent, both before and after the security
law, was to seek the downfall of the ruling Communist Party even at the
sacrifice of the people of China and Hong Kong.
“This was the ultimate aim of the conspiracies and secessionist
publications,” they wrote.
Among the attendees were Lai’s wife and one of his sons, and Hong Kong’s
Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen. Lai nodded to his family before
being escorted out of the courtroom.
His verdict is also a test for Beijing’s diplomatic ties. U.S. President
Donald Trump said he has raised the case with China, and U.K. Prime
Minister Keir Starmer has said his government has made it a priority to
secure the release of Lai, who is a British citizen.
Lai could face life in prison
The founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will
be sentenced on a later day.
The collusion charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Hearings were set to begin Jan. 12 for Lai and other defendants in the
case to argue for a shorter sentence.
The Apple Daily, a vocal critic of the Hong Kong government and Beijing,
was forced to shut in 2021 after police raided its newsroom and arrested
its senior journalists, with authorities freezing its assets.
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Retired Chinese cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, from left, Jimmy Lai's
wife Teresa Lai and Jimmy Lai's son Augustin Lai arrive at the West
Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict for Hong Kong
activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial in Hong Kong,
Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
During Lai’s 156-day trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring
with senior executives of Apple Daily and others to request foreign
forces to impose sanctions or blockades and engage in other hostile
activities against Hong Kong or China.
The prosecution also accused Lai of making such requests,
highlighting his meetings with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence
and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July 2019 at the height
of the protests.
It also presented 161 publications to the court as evidence, as well
as social media posts and text messages.
Lai testified for 52 days in his own defense, arguing that he had
not called for foreign sanctions after the sweeping security law was
imposed in June 2020. His legal team also argued for freedom of
expression.
Health concerns raised during marathon trial
As the trial progressed, Lai’s health appeared to be deteriorating.
Lai’s lawyers in August told the court that he suffered from heart
palpitations.
His children have said that he lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the
past year alone and lost some of his nails and teeth. They also said
he suffered from infections for months, along with constant back
pain, diabetes, heart issues and high blood pressure.
Hong Kong’s government said no abnormalities were found during a
medical examination that followed Lai's complaint of heart problems.
It added this month that the medical services provided to him were
adequate.
Hong Kong leader John Lee said Lai harmed the fundamental interests
of the country, calling his intentions malicious.
Steve Li, chief superintendent of Hong Kong police’s National
Security Department, disputed claims of Lai's worsening health
outside the court building.
“Lai’s conviction is justice served,” he told reporters.
UK and rights groups slam outcome, as China defends it
U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on X that her country
condemned the politically motivated prosecution that resulted in the
guilty verdict, saying it would continue to call for his release.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said
China expressed firm opposition to the vilification of the city’s
judiciary by “certain countries,” urging them to respect the city’s
legal system.
Rights groups, including global media watchdog Reporters Without
Borders and Amnesty International, condemned the verdict.
“It is not an individual who has been on trial — it is press freedom
itself, and with this verdict that has been shattered,” said
Reporters Without Borders' director general Thibaut Bruttin.
But Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the verdict has
nothing to do with press freedom.
Before sunrise, dozens of residents queued outside the court
building to secure a courtroom seat.
Former Apple Daily employee Tammy Cheung arrived at 5 a.m., saying
she wanted to know about Lai’s condition after reports of his
health.
She said she felt the process was being rushed since the verdict
date was announced only last Friday, but added, “I’m relieved that
this case can at least conclude soon.”
___
Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in
London contributed to this report.
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