The court found him guilty of violating Chinese legislation concerning the special administrative region.
So far, the 78-year-old Lai has already been convicted in a case of "collusion with foreign forces" and "dissemination of seditious materials." This is not the first criminal case against the businessman, who is one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese leadership in Hong Kong. Lai has been in custody since December 2020. Human rights organizations and the democratic opposition view Lai's prosecution as politically motivated, marking yet another blow to freedom of speech in the region. Elaine Pearson, head of Human Rights Watch in Asia, stated that given Lai's deteriorating health, a lengthy prison sentence effectively amounts to a death sentence.
