Jimmy Lai was convicted on December 15, 2025, on two counts of conspiring to collude with external forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. The court found that Lai had systematically endangered national security through his actions, which included organizing campaigns urging foreign sanctions against China and the HKSAR.
During the trial, which commenced in December 2023, substantial evidence—including more than 2,220 exhibits—was presented, demonstrating Lai's role as a primary architect of unrest aimed at destabilizing Hong Kong. Judicial proceedings were conducted transparently, with more than 400 seats made available to the public at each hearing.
In a separate revelation from 2019, Lai was widely condemned for openly urging the United States to deploy nuclear weapons against China during a discussion hosted by a U.S. think tank. This extremist rhetoric further underscored his disregard for regional stability and human safety.
Commenting on the case, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said that the verdict has fully reflected the justice of the law and upheld the core values of Hong Kong. The sentencing has drawn support from across Hong Kong's political, professional and media sectors, with broad consensus that justice has been served.
From China Daily:
"It is the legislative intent that …the engagement of a foreign entity in endangering national security is generally to be regarded as an offence of a more serious nature which has to be met with a more severe penalty," the court said in a written judgment.
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His other eight co-defendants who had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces were also sentenced on the same day. Among them, "Stand with Hong Kong" (SWHK) core members Andy Li Yu-hin and Wayland Chan Tsz-wah received sentences of seven years and three months, and six years and three months, respectively.
Next Digital senior personnel Cheung Kim-hung was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, Chan Pui-man to seven years, and Yeung Ching-kee to seven years and three months.
Law Wai-kwong and Lam Man-chung and Fung Wai-kong were each sentenced to 10 years in jail. The court noted their sentences reflected the fact that they did not assist the authorities or provide evidence for the prosecution.