The verdict is guilty. Sentencing has not yet been announced, but Jimmy Lai is 78. Reports have mentioned the possibility of a life sentence. Anything much more than “time served” will amount to that.
Lai is the former publisher of the former pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, which played a major role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. That movement culminated in the massive protests of 2019. Shortly thereafter, the mainland government moved to accelerate the destruction of Hongkongers’ political rights.
Associated Press reports that three judges handpicked by the government “found Lai, 78, guilty of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. He pleaded not guilty to all charges” (December 14, 2025).
Reading from an 855-page verdict, Judge Esther Toh said that the evidence showed Lai had extended “constant invitations” to the U.S. to help bring down the Chinese government and had spent years considering what leverage the U.S. could use.
“There is no doubt that the first defendant had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC for many of his adult years,” Toh said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
Toh added that the court was satisfied that Lai was the “mastermind” of the conspiracies….
The Apple Daily was a vocal critic of the Hong Kong government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. It was forced to shut in 2021 after police raided its newsroom and arrested its senior journalists, with authorities freezing its assets.
During Lai’s 156-day trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring with senior executives of Apple Daily and others to request foreign forces to impose sanctions or blockades and engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.
The sentence for the collusion charge may range from three years to life. Since the court is stressing that Lai was a “mastermind” of the opposition to the Chinese Communist Party, a life sentence seems probable. But we may not know Lai’s fate for sure for several more weeks. On January 12, a four-day hearing will commence at which he can argue for shorter sentencing.
Also see:
Acton Institute: Film: “The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom”
