00:00After nearly five years in prison, Hong Kong former media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been convicted of
00:06sedition and working with foreign forces in a landmark national security trial. The ruling
00:11ends a nearly half-year-long trial under Hong Kong's harsh national security law. Sentencing
00:17will begin in January, but he could face life in prison. Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple
00:23Daily, has long been a vocal critic of the Chinese government. He pleaded not guilty to all charges,
00:29but the impact Lai has had on Hong Kongers was clear with supporters lining up down the block
00:34to get a seat in the courtroom, many who camped out there overnight.
00:59Critics say the Lai verdict is just the latest example of Hong Kong's eroding freedoms under its
01:16Beijing-backed government. Authorities have increasingly clamped down on dissent since
01:20the passage of the national security law in 2020, following large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations.
01:26NGO Reporters Without Borders says Lai is one of over 100 journalists still detained in China and
01:32Hong Kong, and urges countries to pressure China's government for his release.
01:36The only way of getting Jimmy Lai and all other detained journalists from Hong Kong is really
01:41the pressure of the international community and democracies, including President Donald Trump and
01:46U.K. Prime Minister. And it's up to them to speak with leader of CCP Xi Jinping and demand his release,
01:54especially because Jimmy Lai is U.K. citizen only.
01:57With Lai now convicted, journalists and pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong are on high alert
02:03as the city grapples with the impact of this case.
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