Overview
- A three-judge High Court panel found Lai guilty on two counts of conspiring with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material, calling him the “mastermind” of the schemes.
- He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with the court to set a sentencing date after the mitigation hearing, and he retains the right to appeal.
- Judges cited Lai’s outreach to senior US officials and 161 Apple Daily items as evidence, asserting he sought to leverage foreign pressure against China and Hong Kong.
- Consular observers from the US, EU and others attended as Western governments and press-freedom groups condemned the ruling, while Hong Kong and Beijing authorities defended the verdict as necessary for national security.
- Lai has been held since December 2020 as his newspaper Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021, and his family’s concerns over deteriorating health are disputed by authorities.