Lai has been found guilty of offences under Hong Kong’s National Security Law, which has widely been condemned by human rights organisations as draconian, including two counts of “collusion with foreign forces” and conspiring to publish “seditious” material. His sentence will be announced at a later date. Six members of Apple Daily staff as well as two other co-accused have also been found guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Lai has been in prison continuously since December 2020. Subjected to unlawful conditions of solitary confinement, he is restricted to only 50 minutes of “exercise” per day in a metal cage, which has led to significant deterioration of his health. His family has warned that his fingernails have fallen off and his teeth rotted, and that he has suffered severe weight loss.
Hong Kong has fallen dramatically in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, now ranked 135th out of 180 countries and territories surveyed, compared to 18th just two decades prior. China, ranked 172nd, remains the world’s largest jailer of journalists, with at least 123 currently in detention.