Hong Kong’s once-booming media landscape was dealt a decisive blow on December 15, 2025, as Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old pro-democracy activist, media mogul, and founder of Apple Daily, was found guilty of collusion and sedition under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The verdict, delivered by a panel of three judges at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building, has sent shockwaves through Hong Kong, the international community, and Lai’s family—who watched anxiously from homes in Ontario, London, and beyond.
The charges against Lai were sweeping: two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces, and one count of sedition under colonial-era legislation. His companies—Apple Daily Ltd, Apple Daily Printing Ltd, and AD Internet Ltd—were also convicted of conspiring to publish seditious publications and to commit foreign collusion. The maximum penalty for collusion is life imprisonment, and Lai’s mitigation hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2026, according to Hong Kong Free Press.
Lai, who turned 78 behind bars earlier in December, has already spent more than 1,800 days in jail, having been detained since December 2020. His trial began in December 2023 and stretched across more than 150 working days, with closing arguments wrapping up in August 2025. In court, Lai—dressed in a green jumper and beige jacket—smiled and waved to his wife Teresa, their son Lai Shun-yan, and Cardinal Joseph Zen before being led away by guards, as reported by Global Voices.
The verdict was hardly a surprise to Lai’s family. His niece, Erica Lepp, staying up late in Ontario’s Niagara Region, told CBC News, “We’re certainly not surprised by the outcome… This was never a fair trial, ever.” Lai’s son, Sebastien, echoed this sentiment, telling journalists in London, “In the 800-page verdict they have, there is essentially nothing, nothing that incriminates him. This is a perfect example of how the national security law has been moulded and weaponized against someone who essentially said stuff that they didn’t like.”
Throughout the trial, the judges made their position clear. Judge Esther Toh described Lai’s testimony as “evasive” and “unreliable,” likening his actions to “an American urging Russia to topple the US government.” The judgment, which ran over 850 pages, stated that Lai’s intent was “to seek the downfall of [the Chinese Communist Party]” at the cost of the interests of people in Hong Kong and mainland China. The court cited 161 op-eds from Apple Daily as evidence, arguing that Lai used the paper to “spread his political agenda” and incite hatred towards authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong.
“Given his position as the hands-on boss of Apple Daily and the degree of his involvement in its operation, we are satisfied that he agreed with those articles which were consistent with his own political stance,” the judges wrote. They also pointed to Lai’s “extensive” foreign connections—including meetings in 2019 with then-US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo—as proof of his intent to solicit foreign intervention against China and Hong Kong.
Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police’s National Security Department called the conviction “justice served.” Speaking outside the courthouse, Li said, “Lai exploited his media enterprise and used his wealth and extensive foreign political connections to collude with foreign powers.” He also responded to concerns raised by Lai’s daughter, Claire, about her father’s deteriorating health—vision loss, hearing problems, and difficulty walking—by insisting that Lai was receiving appropriate medical care in custody.
Lai’s health has become a rallying point for his family and international supporters. His children reported that he has lost 22 pounds in the past year, as well as some of his nails and teeth. According to Reuters, Lai’s lawyers say he suffers from heart palpitations, requires a heart monitor, medication, and also has diabetes. “We were hoping for some leniency due to his age and his declining health,” said Lidija Biro of Amnesty International’s Niagara chapter, which recently sent 43 letters to Lai as part of its Write for Rights campaign.
The international response to Lai’s conviction was swift and fierce. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned what she called the “politically motivated prosecution” of Lai, urging his immediate release and full access to independent medical care. She asserted that Lai was “targeted” by the Chinese and Hong Kong government under the national security law “imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics.” In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand echoed calls for Lai’s release, citing concerns about deteriorating rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. U.S. President Donald Trump has also weighed in, telling President Xi Jinping that freeing Lai would benefit U.S.-Chinese relations, according to Reuters.
For many, Lai’s story is emblematic of Hong Kong’s shifting political landscape. Born in China, he arrived in Hong Kong as a stowaway and built a retail empire before launching Apple Daily in 1995. The paper quickly gained a reputation for fearless reporting, often publishing stories about mainland China that would never see the light of day across the border. During the 2019 pro-democracy protests—which saw a quarter of Hong Kongers take to the streets—Apple Daily played a central role, even printing inserts to be used as protest signs.
The tide turned in June 2020, when Beijing inserted the national security law into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, criminalizing subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces, and broadly defined terrorist acts. Lai was arrested just weeks later. The day after his detention, Apple Daily defiantly doubled its print run, declaring on its front page: “Apple Daily will keep fighting.” But a year later, authorities froze the company’s assets, forcing it to shut down in June 2021.
The West has viewed the national security law as a tool for curtailing freedom of speech and civil liberties in Hong Kong. The law’s implementation has been marked by a conviction rate near 100% for protesters and activists, according to The Sensemaker. Lai’s family, friends, and colleagues see his case as the final nail in the coffin for Hong Kong’s once-vibrant freedoms. “This to me almost feels like the final nail in the coffin, in terms of what Hong Kong was and what it is now, and the freedoms that the people in Hong Kong have,” said Erica Lepp.
Yet, the story is bigger than Lai alone. As The Sensemaker points out, dozens of other pro-democracy activists have been imprisoned or forced into exile since 2020. The “one country, two systems” principle, which was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong’s autonomy until 2047, now feels increasingly fragile.
As the world watches, Lai’s fate hangs in the balance. His family continues to hope for a reunion, and his supporters—both at home and abroad—urge the international community not to let his case slip quietly into history. The sentencing process, beginning early next year, will be another test of Hong Kong’s future and the world’s willingness to defend the values Lai has come to represent.
