Amnesty International condemned the conviction of Hong Kong newspaper founder Jimmy Lai on national security charges, calling it a “death knell for press freedom” in the city. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty’s China Director, highlighted that Lai has been imprisoned solely for peacefully criticizing the government through his Apple Daily newspaper, with activities that would not have been considered criminal prior to the 2020 National Security Law. She emphasized that the law is being used not to protect national security but to silence dissent and warned that the verdict signals severe legal risks for anyone doing business in Hong Kong. Amnesty affirmed that Lai is a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate and unconditional release, urging the international community to condemn the law used to prosecute him.
The High Court of Hong Kong found Jimmy Lai guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to commit sedition, under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law and the Crimes Ordinance. He now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Lai was first charged in December 2020 and has been continuously detained since 31 December 2020. Additional charges were later filed related to his newspaper articles calling on foreign countries to impose sanctions, meetings with US politicians, interviews with overseas media, and social media activity.
Lai, a British national, was denied bail in February 2021, as Hong Kong courts ruled National Security Law cases are exceptions to the presumption in favor of bail. His British lawyer was also barred from representing him. Apple Daily, founded by Lai in 1995, was raided and eventually forced to close in June 2021 after police froze its assets and detained Lai and several executives, marking a major crackdown on press freedom in Hong Kong.
Prior to this latest conviction, Lai had been sentenced in four other cases related to “unauthorized assemblies” and fraud, totaling over seven years in prison. Amnesty International previously recognized him as a prisoner of conscience alongside other Hong Kong human rights defenders, including lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, highlighting the broader context of escalating suppression of free expression in the city.
