A Hong Kong court has found media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of colluding with foreign forces.
The 78-year-old, who waved goodbye to his family as he was escorted out of court, faces life in prison.
“Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, was found guilty on Monday on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials,” reports the state owned Xinhua agency.
The verdict was handed down by the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the national security case of Lai and three companies linked to the now-defunct Apple Daily.
The defendants include Lai, Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, and Apple Daily Internet Limited, all facing charges of conspiracy to publish seditious materials and conspiracy to collude with external forces. Lai was also facing a separate charge of conspiring to collude with external forces.
The trial officially commenced on Dec. 18, 2023, and has been presided over by three judges appointed under the national security law in Hong Kong. The prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence on June 11, 2024, and on July 25, the court ruled that all charges were substantiated. Lai's testimony began on Nov. 20, 2024, and ended in March 2025. Closing arguments began on Aug. 18 and were finalized on Aug. 28.
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