Hong Kong businessman and media magnate Jimmy Lai, a long-standing symbol of the city’s pro-democracy movement, now faces the possibility of life imprisonment after his conviction on December 15, 2025, for violating Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law. The trial, which has captivated international attention, is widely seen as a critical test of press freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, according to reporting from CBS News, Reuters, and The Independent.
Lai, 78, was found guilty of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, conspiring to publish seditious articles through his now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily, and fraudulently breaching lease conditions for his company’s offices. He has steadfastly denied all charges, maintaining his innocence throughout a five-year legal ordeal that began with his arrest in 2020, shortly after Beijing imposed the controversial Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“We are human beings. We have souls. We are not a dog. And not willing to accept increasing interference from Beijing,” Lai told CBS News back in 2019, during the height of Hong Kong’s massive pro-democracy protests. His words, delivered with unwavering conviction, have echoed through the years as the city’s freedoms have eroded under intensifying pressure from Beijing.
For decades, Lai has been a thorn in the side of China’s Communist Party. His activism dates back to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, and in 1995, as the British prepared to hand Hong Kong back to China, he founded Apple Daily, which quickly became one of the city’s staunchest defenders of free speech. During the tumultuous 2019 demonstrations, Lai and his paper stood at the forefront, championing Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic aspirations on the world stage.
Lai’s arrest in 2020 came amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent, triggered by the new national security law. He was initially imprisoned for participating in what authorities called “illegal assembly”—peaceful protests that he unflinchingly supported. Subsequent detentions followed, each time under the shadow of increasingly draconian regulations. This most recent conviction, however, marks the culmination of Beijing’s campaign to silence one of its most vocal critics.
In the government’s case, Lai was painted as the mastermind behind Hong Kong’s autonomy movement, accused of colluding with Western and Taiwanese forces in an alleged plot to sever the city from China. The prosecution’s narrative, as noted by IRD, echoes tactics of authoritarian regimes past—reminiscent of Soviet show trials under Stalin, where accusations of subversion were used to justify purges of dissenting voices.
Lai’s personal story is as compelling as it is tragic. Born in mainland China, he fled to Hong Kong as a child and rose from humble beginnings to become a clothing and publishing magnate. His outspoken support for democracy has cost him dearly—his newspaper shuttered, his fortune diminished, and now, his freedom at stake. Yet, through it all, Lai has credited his Catholic faith, which he embraced in 1997, for giving him strength. “If you believe in the Lord, if you believe that all suffering has a reason, and the Lord is suffering with me…I’m at peace with it,” he told the Napa Institute, as cited by IRD.
Lai’s plight has inspired a groundswell of support from religious leaders and human rights advocates around the globe. Fr. Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute and Johnnie Moore of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom have both spoken out, placing Lai’s struggle in the context of a long tradition of Christian resistance to state oppression. This echoes the words of Pope Pius XII, who in 1958 declared that Christians everywhere must protest against violations of human dignity by authoritarian regimes.
The international response to Lai’s conviction has been swift and unequivocal. The British government demanded his immediate release, summoning China’s ambassador in protest. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the judgment as “politically motivated persecution,” while her shadow counterpart Priti Patel called it a “political show trial” and “an outrage to democracy, personal freedom and liberty.” Patel urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to personally raise Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping, insisting that “his ordeal can end, he can be returned to Britain and be reunited with his family.”
The European Union echoed these sentiments, describing Lai’s conviction as “emblematic of the erosion of democracy and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in, arguing that the verdict demonstrated China’s determination to “silence those who seek to protect freedom of speech and other fundamental rights.” He called for Lai’s release on humanitarian grounds, citing reports of the businessman’s deteriorating health.
Lai’s family has repeatedly voiced concern over his well-being, pointing to severe weight loss, falling teeth, and declining hearing and vision during his years in detention. With sentencing scheduled for early 2026 after a mitigation hearing in mid-January, the stakes for Lai—and for Hong Kong’s remaining civil society—have never been higher.
U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a personal interest in Lai’s case, telling reporters on December 16, 2025, “I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it and I asked to consider his release. He’s an older man and he’s not well. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.” Trump had previously promised during his 2024 campaign that he would “100 per cent get him out” of jail if elected, and, according to Reuters, raised the issue with Xi during meetings in August and October 2025. However, Trump stopped short of making a concrete pledge to secure Lai’s release, acknowledging the complexities of international diplomacy.
China, for its part, has pushed back forcefully against what it calls foreign interference. Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated, “China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries that blatantly smear and slander Hong Kong’s justice system. We urge relevant countries to respect China’s sovereignty, Hong Kong’s rule of law, to not unleash irresponsible remarks on the proceeding of the case in Hong Kong.”
The case has become a touchstone for the broader struggle over Hong Kong’s future. Critics warn that Lai’s conviction signals the end of the city’s long-cherished freedoms and its unique identity within China. Supporters of the crackdown, meanwhile, argue that national security must come first and that foreign powers have no right to dictate how China governs its own territory.
As Jimmy Lai awaits sentencing, his story continues to galvanize international concern and debate. Whether his fate will spark renewed pressure on Beijing or mark the closing chapter of Hong Kong’s democratic experiment remains to be seen. For now, Lai’s courage and resilience stand as a testament to the enduring human desire for freedom—and the high price that sometimes must be paid to defend it.
