The court found him guilty of violating laws concerning the special administrative region of China.
At the age of 78, Lai had already been convicted of "collusion with foreign forces" and "dissemination of seditious publications." This is not the first case brought against the businessman, who is one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese government in Hong Kong. Lai has been in custody since December 2020. Human rights organizations and the democratic opposition view his prosecution as politically motivated, which also represents a serious blow to freedom of speech in the region. Elaine Pearson, head of Human Rights Watch in Asia, stated that given Lai's deteriorating health, his lengthy prison sentence can be seen as "effectively a death sentence."
