Guilty Ruling for H.K. Pro-Democracy Figure: China’s Suppression of Free Speech Becomes More Extreme

Editorial

13:59 JST, December 16, 2025

A Hong Kong opinion leader who was a leading critic of China has been found guilty in court. The current situation in which China is taking away freedoms and suppressing free speech in Hong Kong is completely unacceptable.

The Hong Kong High Court has handed a guilty ruling to Jimmy Lai, 78, founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, known for its criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, for violating the national security law, which prohibits anti-government activities.

Lai and Apple Daily executives were charged with the crime of “colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security,” among other offenses, for allegedly urging foreign governments to impose sanctions on China since large-scale anti-government demonstrations were staged in Hong Kong in 2019.

His defense team argued for his innocence throughout the trial, but the judges said in the ruling that there was no doubt Lai, as the mastermind, had lobbied foreign governments for sanctions. This ruling, which essentially endorsed the prosecution’s arguments, leaves lingering doubts about whether it was a predetermined conclusion.

Lai, who has been a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp for many years, has been actively involved in the democratization movement. Apple Daily continued to criticize China even after the national security law took effect in 2020. However, the newspaper company was forced to cease publication under pressure from Hong Kong authorities, including asset freezes.

The extent of Lai’s sentence will be announced at a later date. The national security law stipulates a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Given China’s hostility toward Lai, the possibility of a severe sentence cannot be ruled out.

Lai’s health is said to have deteriorated due to more than five years of detention. Doesn’t his continued detention raise humanitarian concerns? It is only natural that the United States and the United Kingdom have demanded his release, saying prosecution against him is “politically motivated.”

The international community must continue to demand that the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping release Lai and other pro-democracy activists who have been detained.

In the first place, the introduction of the national security law itself violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which guaranteed Hong Kong would maintain a “high degree of autonomy” for 50 years after it was transferred to Chinese control in 1997.

Since the national security law was introduced, a sense of stagnation has enveloped Hong Kong society. Following the high-rise apartment buildings fire in November, a man who criticized the government’s response was detained.

An electoral system that effectively bans pro-democracy candidates from running was introduced in the previous election of the Legislative Council, which is Hong Kong’s parliament, four years ago. In this month’s council election, pro-Beijing candidates secured all 90 seats.

Seventy seats in the Legislative Council are allocated to pro-Beijing industry groups and others. Only 20 seats are directly elected by general voters, and the latest election saw a low turnout of 31.9%.

It is clear the coercive governance of Hong Kong has not gained residents’ confidence. China should face this reality.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 16, 2025)