Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai convicted of national security charges

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was found guilty on all three charges in his national security trial on Monday, convictions that rights groups denounced as a death knell to press freedoms in the Chinese financial hub.

Prosecutors said Lai was the mastermind behind two conspiracies to ask foreign countries to sanction, blockade or take action against Hong Kong or China, and accused him of publishing material that "incited disaffection" against the government.

The 78 year old, who pleaded not guilty, faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced. He can appeal the convictions.

"There is no doubt that (Lai) had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC," Judge Esther Toh told the court, referring to the People's Republic of China.

The judge said Lai had invited the United States "to help bring down" the Chinese government, "with the excuse of helping the people of HK."

Unmoved as the verdicts were read out

The U.K. government, calling for his release, condemned the "politically motivated prosecution" of British citizen Jimmy Lai in a statement Monday.

The media mogul, wearing a light green cardigan and grey jacket, listened impassively as the verdicts were read out.

He nodded to his wife Teresa and his son Lai Shun-yan in the public gallery as he left the court, an AFP reporter saw.

Defence lawyer Robert Pang told reporters that Lai was "in fine spirits" and that they would need to read the 886-page verdict before deciding on their next steps.

U.S., E.U. and French consular representatives were in court, as well as veterans from Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp, including Cardinal Joseph Zen and former legislator Emily Lau.

Australia's foreign ministry expressed "strong objections" to the "broad application" of a national security law that was imposed by Beijing after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Beijing hit back at the international criticism, saying it opposed the "smearing of the judicial system in Hong Kong by certain countries."

Its government supports Hong Kong in "punishing criminal acts that endanger national security," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press conference.

Dismaying

Lai, who founded the now-shut Apple Daily newspaper, has been behind bars since 2020.

His case has been widely criticised as an example of eroding political freedoms under the national security law.

"The predictability of today's verdict does not make it any less dismaying -- the conviction of Jimmy Lai feels like the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong," Amnesty International said in a statement.

Reporters Without Borders condemned the "unlawful conviction," while the Committee to Protect Journalists called it a "sham."

The Hong Kong Journalists Association described a Hong Kong media climate of self-censorship and fear.

Eric Lai, a research fellow in Asian law at Georgetown University, said the verdict vindicated concerns about a fair trial because "most of Jimmy Lai's acts related to foreign forces were carried out before the (security law) was enacted."

Beijing's national security agency and its liaison office in Hong Kong both labeled Lai a "pawn" for anti-China forces.

A former Apple Daily employee surnamed Chan recalled before the verdicts were delivered that Lai wished for a "free and democratic China."

"He loved the country a lot, he just didn't love the regime. (The situation) is absurd," Chan told AFP.

Health concerns

Lai looked thinner on Monday than when he first entered custody, an AFP reporter saw, and some of his supporters who gathered at dawn in front of the court expressed concern for his well-being.

"I really want to see what's happening with "the boss," to see if his health has deteriorated," said Tammy Cheung, who worked at Lai's newspaper for nearly two decades.

Lai's daughter Claire told AFP last week that her father, a diabetic, had "lost a very significant amount of weight" and showed signs of nail and tooth decay.

National security police chief superintendent Steve Li told reporters on Monday that Claire Lai's concerns were smearing.

Authorities have said Lai was receiving "adequate and comprehensive" care, and that he had been held in solitary confinement "at his own request."