Jimmy Lai’s conviction by the Hong Kong court: Who is Lai and why was he detained?
Femy Francis, NIAS, Project Associate 

On 16 December, US President Donald Trump urged the Chinese President Xi Jinping to consider releasing Jimmy Lai. He is a British citizen and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy supporter, a retail and media tycoon, charged and found guilty under the National Security Law. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also condemned the ruling and called it politically motivated. Cooper said: “He has been targeted by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.” The UK’s Foreign Office also summoned the Chinese Ambassador to discuss the matter. China director for Amnesty International, Sarah Brooks said: “he conviction of Jimmy Lai feels like the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong. This verdict shows that Hong Kong’s so-called national security laws are not in place to protect people, but to silence them. It should also serve as a warning to all people doing business in Hong Kong: that pursuing opportunities in the city comes with severe legal risks.” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Guo Jiankun, urged the international organisation and the UK to refrain from criticising the conviction of Jimmy Lai. He said: “We urge relevant countries to respect China's sovereignty and the HKSAR's legal system, refrain from making irresponsible remarks on the adjudication of judicial cases in the HKSAR, and cease interfering in the HKSAR's judiciary and in China's internal affairs in any form.”

Who is Jimmy Lai, and why was he detained? 
William Lai is a tycoon from Hong Kong who built his business empire through media and retail chains. By 2020, during the time of his arrest, he was worth USD 1.2 billion. He was one of the few billionaires who used his wealth and influence for activism, funding and participating in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. He became a supporter of the democracy movement after the Tiananmen Square incident in Beijing in 1989. He soon established Apple Daily just before the UK handed over its rule of Hong Kong to China. His media outlets became the loud source for the pro-democracy movement, with Lai himself writing columns shaming the Chinese leaders and government.

During the 2019 protest, his paper backed the proposed extradition bill. Apple Daily published a cut-out letter to the now US President Donald Trump calling to help save Hong Kong, which became the key material used against the national security case. He was also accused of colluding with Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and veteran Democrat legislator Nancy Pelosi. Lai also attended protest events and banned vigils for Tiananmen in 2020, where he lit a candle, for which he was convicted to 13 months in jail. His house and business were constantly raided and were even a target of a foiled assassination plot in 2008. His son Sebastien, currently residing outside Hong Kong, said: “I always had the knowledge that my dad was doing the right thing and not the easy thing.” And that “He always had the advantage that he came from nothing. He also had the advantage of knowing that even with nothing, he’d be OK.”

In 2020, weeks after the National Security Law by China was introduced in Hong Kong, Lai’s Apple Daily office was stormed, and he was arrested along with several of Apple Daily’s executives. Two of his eldest sons were also arrested, and the company was forced to close the following year. The closure was yet another end and hit to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Lai was advised to take advantage of his UK citizenship and foreign residence and flee the country like many others. He refused, saying that he wanted to support his journalists and keep fighting for Hong Kong, and that he preferred to go to jail than abandon his city. Lai was optimistic but cautious of the judicial system. He said: “They just want to show the teeth of the national security law, but they haven’t bitten yet.” Lai is one of many NSL arrests; there was a mass prosecution of 47 politicians and activists who worked for democracy. Laws were rewritten to limit bail rights and restrict foreign lawyers from defending Lai.

What is the verdict?
The three-judge panel of the Hong Kong court found the media tycoon guilty of sedition and national security charges. He was accused of conspiracy to publish seditious materials, colluding with foreign countries or external elements, which endangered the national security of Hong Kong. The court found that he used Apple Daily to call for international sanctions against China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. The ruling said: “to carry out a consistent campaign with a view to undermining the legitimacy or authority of the [Central People’s Government (CPG)], the HKSAR Government and their institutions and harming the relation between the CPG and the HKSAR Government with the people of Hong Kong.”

The court recognised that he toned down his activism since the NSL, but still violated the law due to the failure of any change in the writings of Apple Daily. His son Sebastian, on the verdict, said: “We have always known that my father was being prosecuted solely for his courageous journalism and unwavering commitment to democracy. Today’s conviction is the culmination of years of persecution at the hands of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. It is an attack on the values we all hold dear.” He also called the UK government to help secure his father’s release.

References
William Hibbitts, “Hong Kong court finds media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty on sedition and national security charges,” Jurist News, 15 December 2025
Helen Davidson, “The rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself,” The Guardian, 15 December 2025
Amy Hawkins, “Governments and rights groups condemn conviction of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai,” The Guardian, 15 December 2025