Overview
- Lai, 78, was convicted of colluding with foreign forces, receiving a 20-year term in a national security case that rights groups say targets pro-democracy journalism.
- Six former Apple Daily executives were also jailed, with sentences ranging from six years and nine months to 10 years.
- China’s State Council issued a white paper defending the security law and asserting the central government’s overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong.
- Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te joined the UK, EU, UN, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in condemning the verdict and urging Lai’s release or humanitarian parole.
- Lai’s juryless trial and limits on his choice of counsel fueled concerns over judicial independence as journalists report pervasive self-censorship following Apple Daily’s 2021 shutdown and a 2024 increase in sedition penalties.