Hong Kong’s High Court has concluded mitigation hearings for media tycoon and China critic Jimmy Lai, bringing his high-profile national security case closer to sentencing.
Lawyers for Lai, 78, and eight co-defendants – including senior former staff of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily – argued over two days for lighter sentences. Judges said a sentencing date would be announced later.
"There are a lot of legal issues and important questions of law that need to be handled," said Alex Lee, one of three judges presiding over the case.
Lai, the founder of the now-closed newspaper, was convicted last month of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law, as well as conspiracy to publish seditious material.
He has denied all charges, describing himself in court as a "political prisoner" facing persecution by Beijing.
The trial began in December 2023. Lai has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement.
Diplomats from Britain, the European Union and the United States were among those attending Tuesday’s hearing.
In its judgment, the court said Lai had colluded with overseas individuals, officials and politicians in an attempt to bring about the "downfall of the Chinese Communist Party".
Hong Kong authorities say the national security law has restored stability after the mass pro-democracy protests of 2019, and that Lai has received a fair trial.
Erik Shum, representing Lam Man-chung, the newspaper’s former senior editor, said his client had played a "very limited role" and should receive a reduced sentence.
Judge Lee said such offences could, under certain provisions of the law, fall within the highest sentencing band, carrying penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.
Marco Li, lawyer for Chan Pui-man, the former associate publisher, said her limited responsibility for the print edition warranted a starting point of 10 years if the court placed her in the upper band.
Lai and his family did not submit mitigation letters, his family said, but his deteriorating health has featured in international calls for his release.
U.S. President Donald Trump raised Lai’s case with China’s leader Xi Jinping during a meeting in South Korea in October, according to Lai’s supporters. No response has been received. The two leaders are due to meet again in April.
In a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Lai’s daughter Claire rejected prosecution claims that her father had sought solitary confinement for his own protection.
"My father is in a cell on his own that is smaller and older than most," she said, adding that he had been denied outdoor exercise and held in a cell with a blocked window that allowed no sunlight.
Hong Kong’s Correctional Services Department said Lai’s custodial conditions were "secure, safe and humane", including adequate lighting, ventilation and outdoor exercise "when weather permits".
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Fra...
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's f...
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public re...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment