Lai’s case has been condemned internationally by free speech advocates, human rights groups and global leaders.

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai He will be sentenced after being convicted in a national security trial, according to the judicial department of the autonomous Chinese territory.

The Justice Department said on its website Friday that it requested sentencing Monday morning.

The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily was convicted in December of colluding with foreign countries under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, which Beijing imposed after massive and sometimes violent incidents. Pro-democracy protests in 2019.

He was also found guilty of one count of seditious publication and could face life in prison.

Global leaders including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have called for Lai’s release, while rights groups say his trial is the death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong.

Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, has been in jail since 2020, with several Western countries calling for his release.

Defense lawyers in January acknowledged the “seriousness” of the case, which found Lai guilty of calling for foreign sanctions.

He will be sentenced Monday along with eight co-defendants, including six Apple Daily executives.

Lawyers said last month that all defendants except Jimmy Lai had pleaded guilty and some had testified against him, which would entitle them to shorter sentences.

international condemnation

The judge wrote in his 856-page ruling in December that Lai “had harbored resentment and hatred toward (China) for many years of his adult life” and sought “the downfall of the Chinese Communist Party.”

The prosecutor cited 161 items published by Apple Daily in Jimmy Lai’s case.

The items are considered seditious under colonial-era law because they “arouse dissatisfaction against the government.”

Lai insisted that he had never sought to influence the foreign policies of other countries and said Apple Daily represented the core values ​​of Hong Kong people, including “the rule of law, freedom, and the pursuit of democracy.”

Lai’s case drew international condemnation, from press rights groups to global leaders.

Britain’s Starmer, who visited Beijing in January, raised Lai’s case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and noted that the two men disagreed on the issue.

Follow Lai convictionTrump also said he had asked Xi Jinping to consider releasing Mr.

“He’s old and not in good health. So I did make the request. We’ll see what happens,” he told reporters at the time.

The EU, meanwhile, said the conviction “symbolizes the erosion of democracy and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong since the imposition of the national security law”.

Britain-based Amnesty International said the conviction marked the “death knell for press freedom in Hong Kong”, while the Committee to Protect Journalists called it a “scam”.