Jimmy Lai Faces Sentencing in Hong Kong Security Trial

Hong Kong's pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai faces sentencing on Monday after his conviction under the city's national security law, a case that has highlighted tensions over press freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony.

The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, along with eight co-defendants, is scheduled to appear before three High Court judges at 10 a.m. in the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts. Lai was found guilty in December of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material. Prosecutors alleged that between April 2019 and June 2021, Lai conspired with six senior Apple Daily executives and others to produce articles deemed seditious under colonial-era legislation, exciting disaffection against the government. They further accused him of colluding with foreign entities, including activists Andy Li and Chan Tsz-wah, to urge sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions against Hong Kong and China from July 2020 to June 2021. The marathon trial, which began in December 2023 and lasted 156 days, cited 161 Apple Daily publications as evidence.