Hong Kong’s High Court on Monday convicted pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and of publishing seditious material under Beijing’s national security law, charges that could carry a life sentence. The verdict has intensified global attention on Hong Kong’s judicial independence amid a prolonged clampdown on civil liberties. Judge Esther Toh said there was “no doubt” that Lai had long held deep hostility toward China, as the 78-year-old defendant listened quietly in court. The case was heard by a three-judge panel that also included Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.

Lai, founder of the now-closed Apple Daily and a vocal critic of China’s Communist Party, has faced multiple legal actions since the 2019 pro-democracy protests. He has already spent five years in prison awaiting the outcome of this trial and will be sentenced later, with a mitigation hearing scheduled for January 12.

He had pleaded not guilty to three charges, citing health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. His conviction caps a year in which Hong Kong’s democratic opposition has largely vanished, highlighted by the Democratic Party’s decision to disband under pressure. The trial, which began in December 2023, is the most prominent application of the national security law since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. Western governments and rights groups have condemned the case as politically driven and called for Lai’s release, while Beijing and Hong Kong authorities insist the proceedings are fair and necessary for national security.

Lai’s family says his health has deteriorated after years of solitary confinement. The ruling comes during a sensitive period for the city, which is also grappling with public grief following a deadly residential fire and renewed warnings from authorities against any resurgence of anti-China protests.