HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s High Court on Monday (Dec 15) found pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.
The case has drawn international scrutiny of Hong Kong’s judicial independence amid a years-long crackdown on rights and freedoms in the global financial hub.
“There is no doubt” that Lai “had harboured his resentment and hatred of” China for many of his adult years, Judge Esther Toh told a packed courtroom as the media tycoon, wearing a pale green jumper and a grey jacket, sat with his arms folded.
The two other judges in his case were Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.
Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China’s Communist Party leadership, has faced a slew of litigation, including cases under the sweeping security legislation that Beijing enacted in response to mass protests in 2019.
Lai, who has already spent five years in jail pending the outcome of his case, will be sentenced at a later date. A pre-sentencing hearing where Lai can plead for leniency is scheduled for Jan 12.
The 78-year-old, who suffers from health issues including diabetes and high blood pressure, had pleaded not guilty to the three charges – one of conspiracy to publish seditious material, and two of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Lai’s verdict bookends a year that marked the essential disappearance of Hong Kong’s democratic opposition, with the city’s largest opposition, the Democratic Party, voting to disband on Sunday under pressure from Beijing.
Outside the courthouse, people overnight formed a queue more than a block long, some with camping gear, seeking one of the 507 tickets to the courthouse.
Police were monitoring the area around the courthouse.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/hong-kong-jimmy-lai-found-guilty-foreign-collusion-publishing-seditious-publications-5582331
