Hong Kong’s High Court on Monday found media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material under a national security law that could see him jailed for life.

The landmark case has drawn Western scrutiny of Hong Kong’s judicial independence and freedoms in the global financial hub after the 2019 protests that Beijing saw as a challenge to its rule.

While Lai’s supporters see him as a freedom fighter, Beijing sees him as a mastermind of the protests and a conspirator advocating for US sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland.

Chinese authorities have rejected accusations of eroding the city’s rule of law.

“There is no doubt” that Lai had harboured his resentment and hatred of“ China for many of his adult years, Judge Esther Toh told a packed courtroom as the tycoon, wearing a pale green jumper and a grey jacket, sat with his arms folded.

The two other judges in his case were Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.

Sentencing expected next year

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China’s Communist Party leadership, has faced a slew of litigation, including cases under the sweeping security legislation that Beijing enacted in response to the 2019 protests.

Lai, who has already spent five years in jail pending the outcome of his case, will be sentenced at a later date.

A pre-sentencing hearing where Lai can plead for leniency is scheduled for January 12.

His lawyer Steven Kwan said Lai will decide whether to appeal after the sentencing.

The 78-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the three charges — one of conspiracy to publish seditious material, and two of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.

Outside the courthouse, people overnight formed a queue more than a block long, some with camping gear, seeking one of the 507 tickets to the courthouse.

Police were monitoring the area around the courthouse.

Rights groups criticise the verdict

Lai’s trial began in December 2023, with the verdict looming as a potential fresh diplomatic flashpoint.

Countries including the US and Britain, as well as rights groups, say the trial is politically motivated and have called for Lai’s immediate release.

US President Donald Trump raised Lai’s case with Xi in a meeting in October and has said he would do his utmost to “save” Lai.

Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the verdict a “sham conviction” and “a disgraceful act of persecution.”

“The ruling underscores Hong Kong’s utter contempt for press freedom,” she said. “Jimmy Lai’s only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy.”

Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders also described Lai’s trial as “a sham.”

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have said the tycoon was receiving a fair trial and that the national security law treats all equally.

They have said no freedoms are absolute when it comes to safeguarding national security.

Lai’s family say his health has worsened in confinement.