In Hong Kong, a court has found media magnate Jimmy Lai guilty of collusion with foreign forces under the national security law, BBC reports.
The trial of Lai, who is one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese regime, lasted nearly two years. The founder of pro-democracy media, including the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, now faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that securing Lai's release, a British citizen, is a "priority." Earlier, US President Donald Trump promised to do everything possible to save him.
Lai's son and human rights groups express concern over the deterioration of his health since his arrest five years ago. Critics accuse the authorities of using the national security law to suppress dissent, while Beijing and Hong Kong claim it is necessary to ensure stability.
The 78-year-old Lai, regarded by some as a hero and by others as a traitor, has become a symbol of the charges under the controversial law enacted in 2020 in response to the protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
The law covers any actions that Beijing considers subversive or separatist, including participation in protests. While the authorities argue that it is necessary to maintain order, many believe it effectively bans criticism.
Lai has been in custody since December 2020, and his fate remains uncertain. The court's sentence will be announced later, and he may face the harshest penalty—life imprisonment.
The Hong Kong authorities state that Lai received a fair trial within the legal system, but many critics are convinced that the case illustrates the use of this system to suppress political opponents.
Lai's family is seriously concerned about his health in detention. In August of this year, his son Sebastian told the BBC that even if his father is sentenced to five years in prison, it would be "practically equivalent to a death sentence."
Lai, who has become one of the most prominent defenders of democracy in Hong Kong, stated: "I am a born rebel," he said in a BBC interview in 2020, shortly before the charges were brought against him.
The Journey from Poverty to Success
Born in Guangzhou to a well-off family, Lai lost everything after the communists came to power in 1949.
At the age of 12, he fled his native village and, becoming a stowaway on a fishing boat, arrived in Hong Kong.
Working odd jobs and knitting in a shop, he taught himself English. Gradually, he rose from low-paying jobs to build a successful business empire, including the globally recognized clothing brand Giordano.
However, after the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989, Lai began a new life as a democracy activist and entrepreneur.
He began publishing articles criticizing the brutal actions of the authorities in response to the protests in Beijing and founded a publishing house that became one of the most influential in Hong Kong.
In response to his actions, Chinese authorities threatened to close his stores on the mainland, forcing him to sell the company and launch several popular pro-democracy publications, including the digital magazine Next and the newspaper Apple Daily.
Despite increasing pressure from Beijing, Lai continued to openly criticize the Chinese authorities both in his articles and in the publications of his media.
He became a symbol of courage for many in Hong Kong, who see him as a defender of the city's freedoms, but on the mainland, he is viewed as a "traitor" threatening national security.
In recent years, his home and office have been attacked, but the threats have not deterred his active stance on democracy issues. In 2021, he was arrested twice for participating in illegal assemblies.
After the introduction of the new national security law in June 2020, Lai stated that it was a "death sentence" for Hong Kong.
His extravagant actions and outspoken statements made him well-known. In 2021, he reached out to Donald Trump for help, stating that he was "the only one who can save us" from Chinese influence. His newspaper published a front-page letter asking the president for help.
For Lai, such actions were necessary to protect the city that had become his home and contributed to his success. He once said: "I came here with nothing, the freedom of this place gave me everything... Perhaps it is time to repay that freedom by fighting for it."
Since 2020, Lai has faced numerous charges, including illegal assembly and fraud.
Lai's case has garnered international attention, and human rights organizations, as well as foreign governments, are calling for his release.
Sebastian Lai travels the world, condemning his father's arrest and speaking of the "defeats that Hong Kong has suffered for its virtues."
"My father is in prison for the truth he speaks, for the courage in his heart, and for the freedom in his soul," he noted.
