Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai Guilty of National Security Offenses; Life Term Looms

• Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, has been convicted of national security offenses, including conspiracy to commit sedition and collusion with foreign forces.
• Lai, an outspoken critic of China, was arrested in 2020 under the national security law, leading to the closure of his pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily.
• The 78-year-old British citizen faces a potential life sentence, with the verdict in his landmark trial, which began in 2023, still pending.
• Lai's activism and media ventures, including Apple Daily, were fueled by his experiences, notably the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
• Prosecutors cited Lai's articles, messages, and meetings with US officials as evidence of his betrayal of national interests, a claim the court upheld.

Why It Matters: This case shows the severe crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.