Overview
- Three government-approved judges in a juryless trial found Lai guilty of conspiring with foreign forces and publishing seditious material.
- Mitigation hearings for Lai and co-defendants are scheduled to begin on January 12, with formal sentencing to follow; the collusion charge carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
- Prosecutors cited Apple Daily articles, social media posts, messages, and Lai’s 2019 meetings with U.S. officials including Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo as evidence of a drive to seek sanctions.
- Western governments and press-freedom groups condemned the ruling as politically motivated, while Beijing and Hong Kong authorities defended it as lawful national security enforcement.
- Lai has been detained since 2020, much of it in solitary confinement, and relatives report declining health, though his lawyer said he remains in good spirits after the verdict.