Jimmy Lai Convicted; U.S. Congress and Human Rights Groups Say Hong Kong’s Rule of Law No Longer Exists

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. (December 31, 2020 / VOA)

[People News] After former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was found guilty on three charges including “collusion with foreign forces” on Monday (December 15, Hong Kong local time), the U.S. Congress as well as human rights and press freedom organizations issued strong condemnations. They said the conviction once again shows that Hong Kong’s rule of law “no longer exists,” and called for the immediate release of the 78-year-old pro-democracy activist.

Jimmy Lai Found Guilty on Three Charges

According to Voice of America, the Hong Kong High Court ruled on Monday that Jimmy Lai was guilty on two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security.” Under Hong Kong’s National Security Law enacted in 2020, the maximum penalty for this offense is life imprisonment. Lai’s case is the first under the National Security Law to involve alleged collusion with foreign forces. A three-judge panel also found him guilty of a third charge, “conspiracy to publish seditious publications.” Jimmy Lai is the founder of Apple Daily, which has since been forced to shut down.

Since his arrest in August 2020, Jimmy Lai has been detained for more than 1,800 days, most of that time in solitary confinement.

The specific sentence will be determined later. The court ordered Lai to submit mitigation pleadings by January 2026 (statements by the defendant and defense arguing for a reduced sentence). After receiving those submissions, the judges will hand down the sentence. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 12. According to local Hong Kong media, Lai’s lawyers said he has not yet decided whether to appeal.

After the conviction, Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, called on the British government to take further action to help secure his father’s release. He said Lai’s health in prison has deteriorated sharply, with significant weight loss. Having recently turned 78, Lai suffers from diabetes and heart palpitations, and began wearing a heart monitor during the final phase of the trial in August.

News of the conviction prompted condemnation from the United States and from human rights and press freedom organizations around the world.

U.S. Congress: Hong Kong’s Rule of Law No Longer Exists

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) posted on social media platform X on Monday morning U.S. Eastern Time condemning the conviction, saying that Hong Kong’s once-proud rule-of-law system has been completely destroyed.

The post stated: “Jimmy Lai was convicted simply for practicing journalism and believing in democracy. This is another tragic reminder that Hong Kong now arbitrarily detains political prisoners at a rate comparable to Venezuela or Myanmar. Hong Kong’s once-proud rule of law has vanished—this is an undeniable fact.”

The CECC called for Lai’s immediate and unconditional release: “Jimmy Lai should never have been arrested in the first place. He should be released immediately and unconditionally so that he can reunite with his family.”

U.S. Senator Jim Risch, Republican and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed similar views in a post on X, saying the ruling once again shows that Hong Kong’s rule of law no longer exists.

He wrote: “Jimmy Lai has endured years of endless fabricated charges, asset seizures, and solitary confinement—all because he dared to speak out and advocate for freedom. Hong Kong must immediately release Jimmy Lai.”

Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida wrote that Jimmy Lai “did nothing wrong.” He said the Chinese Communist Party fabricated retroactive charges to punish Lai for demanding the freedoms Hong Kong was promised at the time of the handover from Britain to China. He added: “Xi Jinping and his Communist cronies continue to wrongfully imprison Mr. Lai, proving they have no sincerity in improving relations with our country.”

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on December 8, Lai’s 78th birthday: “Jimmy Lai spent his 78th birthday in prison. His imprisonment is a grave injustice, and the United States must do everything possible to ensure his release. I stand with all those in Hong Kong fighting for basic freedoms. Free Jimmy Lai!”

As of VOA’s publication deadline, the White House and the U.S. State Department had not responded. Neither had replied to VOA’s requests for comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump previously said on August 14 that he would “do everything possible” to rescue Jimmy Lai. Reports say Trump urged Beijing to release Lai during his October meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council: “Regret and Heartache”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council expressed “deep regret and heartache” over Jimmy Lai’s conviction and strongly condemned political persecution and violations of freedom and human rights.

In its statement, the council harshly criticized the Hong Kong government for “using the evil national security law to suppress freedom of speech and press freedom, and to politically persecute democratic figures.” It said freedom of speech and the press are universally recognized values, and that the ruling effectively declares to the world that Hong Kong’s freedom, democracy, and judicial independence have been eroded and swallowed away.

Human Rights and Press Freedom Groups: The Death Knell of Hong Kong Journalism

Amnesty International said in a statement that Jimmy Lai’s conviction sounds the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong.

“Today’s verdict, though expected, is still deeply depressing—Jimmy Lai’s conviction feels like the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong, where the essential work of journalism has been redefined as a crime,” the statement said. “This ruling shows that Hong Kong’s so-called ‘national security’ laws are not meant to protect people, but to silence them. It should also serve as a warning to anyone doing business in Hong Kong: pursuing opportunities there carries serious legal risks.”

Human Rights Watch called the ruling “a shocking verdict and a travesty of justice.”

In a post on X, Human Rights Watch said: “Its purpose is to create a chilling effect on Hong Kong people—making them believe that if they dare to criticize the Hong Kong authorities, the Chinese authorities, or the Chinese Communist Party, they will be sent to prison.”

Human Rights Watch urged the British government to take the lead in calling on relevant governments to “press Hong Kong authorities to overturn this conviction, acknowledge that the National Security Law fails to meet international standards, and release Jimmy Lai.”

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said in a statement that the “bogus conviction” of pro-democracy advocate and newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai demonstrates the complete collapse of Hong Kong’s rule of law. The statement said that finding Lai guilty is “a mockery of justice and confirms that Hong Kong’s once-respected legal system has utterly disintegrated. Today’s verdict confirms what the world has long known: this was never a genuine trial, but political persecution.”

The statement added that the ruling marks the effective end of Hong Kong’s rule of law, with the judiciary having lost even the last pretense of independence and becoming a tool of authoritarian rule.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that the Apple Daily case and its publisher Jimmy Lai had already caused irreparable damage to Hong Kong’s journalism industry even before the verdict. The high-profile case forced a major media organization to shut down before the trial even began, leaving hundreds of journalists unemployed and depriving Hong Kong residents of an important source of news.

The association added: “To our fellow journalists, we say that the best way to defend press freedom is to continue doing journalism—keep reporting, uphold professional ethics, adhere to facts, and analyze the problems of our time. This is the responsibility of every journalist.”

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement calling Lai’s conviction a “shameful act of persecution.” It said the ruling highlights Hong Kong’s complete disregard for press freedom, which should be protected under Hong Kong’s “mini-constitution,” the Basic Law. “Jimmy Lai’s only ‘crime’ was running a newspaper and defending democracy. His risk of dying in prison due to illness is increasing—he must be immediately reunited with his family.”

Background of the Jimmy Lai Case

Jimmy Lai is the founder of Next Digital. He was arrested by Hong Kong national security police in August 2020 and charged in December that year, becoming the first person prosecuted under the Chinese Communist Party’s Hong Kong National Security Law for “colluding with foreign or overseas forces to endanger national security.”

From indictment to the newspaper’s shutdown and then trial, the case has spanned more than five years and has drawn attention from governments and human rights advocacy groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.

In December 2023, after multiple delays, the trial finally began. Jimmy Lai denied all three charges. He later testified and was questioned by both prosecution and defense as well as the judges. In August 2025, the Hong Kong High Court announced the conclusion of closing arguments and said it would deliver its judgment at a later date.△