Pro-democracy HK tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted in national security trial

Summary

Pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted in high-profile national security trialKelly Ng,Koey LeeandDanny Vincent,Hong KongWatch: What does the Jimmy Lai verdict mean for democracy in Hong Kong?Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner and media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of colluding with foreign forces under the city's controversial national security law (NSL).The 78-year-old UK citizen, who has been in jail since December 2020, pleaded not guilty. He faces life in prison and is expected to be sentenced early next year.Lai used his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper as part of a wider effort to lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China, the court found.Hong Kong chief executive John Lee welcomed the verdict, noting that Lai's actions "damaged the country's interests and the welfare of Hong Kongers". Rights groups called it "a cruel judicial farce".They say the NSL, which Beijing defends as essential for the city's stability, has been used to crush dissent.Delivering the verdict on Monday, Judge Esther Toh said there is "no doubt" that Jimmy Lai "harboured hatred" for the People's Republic of China (PRC), citing his "constant invitation to the US to help bring down the government of the PRC with the excuse of helping the people of Hong Kong".When Lai testified in November, he denied all the charges against him, saying he had "never" used his foreign contacts to influence foreign policy on Hong Kong.Getty ImagesLai at a protest in 2019 when huge pro-democracy demonstrations rocked Hong Kong Asked about his meeting with then US Vice President Mike Pence, Lai said he did not ask anything of him: "I would just relay to him what happened in Hong Kong when he asked me."He was also asked about his meeting with then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo, to which he said he had asked Pompeo, "not to do something but to say something, to voice support for Hong Kong".Lai, one of the fiercest critics of the Chinese state, was a key figure in ...