Who Is Jimmy Lai? The Media Moghul Who Was Found Guilty In Hong Kong
Lai is the founder of the now-shut ‘Apple Daily’ newspaper. The 78-year-old pro-democracy activist is one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party leadership.
A court in Hong Kong has found media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the national security law (NSL). The verdict follows nearly five years of Lai’s detention and marks the city’s most high-profile security case.
Lai, a vocal critic of Beijing, is likely to face life imprisonment, according to Reuters. The trial has become a key test of Hong Kong’s rule of law after the 2019 protests. While supporters call Lai a freedom fighter, Beijing has labelled him a protest mastermind and sanction advocate. China has also rejected the accusations of eroding the city's rule of law.
Who Is Jimmy Lai?
Lai is the founder of the now-shut ‘Apple Daily’ newspaper. The 78-year-old activist is one of the most prominent critics of China's Communist Party leadership.
A website dedicated to garnering support for Lai noted that the activist has spent 1,812 days in prison. He has been found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy for publishing seditious material. Lai is a UK citizen and has denied all the charges against him.
He emerged as a key figure during the 2019 Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. The protest, which lasted months, pushed China to introduce the controversial NSL. Lai is facing a slew of litigation under the controversial 2019 legislation.
He was born in mainland China and moved to Hong Kong at the age of 12. He later became a businessman after founding the clothing brand Giordano.
However, his journey as a democracy activist began after China’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, the BBC reported. This prompted him to start writing in newspaper columns and later expand his activism by launching pro-democracy media outlets. This included the popular tabloid Apple Daily, which garnered much spotlight during the 2019 protests and announced its closure following Lai’s arrest in 2020.
Controversial 2019 Law:
The controversial NSL was imposed in 2019 without consulting Hong Kong lawmakers, granting authorities wide powers to arrest and jail people seen as threats to public order or government stability, according to the BBC.
During Monday’s verdict, Lai’s family members were present in the court, including his wife Teresa and one of his sons. Lai’s longtime friend Cardinal Joseph Zen was also present in the court.
Lai's son Sebastien has urged the UK government to "do more" to help free his father. The UK has condemned the verdict, calling it "politically motivated persecution" of Lai.
