Hong Kong court set to rule in Jimmy Lai trial on Monday

New York, December 12, 2025—Ahead of Monday’s expected verdict in the national security trial of Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Hong Kong authorities to drop all charges against the 78-year-old publisher and release him immediately and unconditionally.

Lai, whose health has worsened after spending five years in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison, is on trial for sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, charges he denies. He faces life imprisonment if found guilty.

“Hong Kong will decide on Monday whether it is a city governed by the rule of law, or by the law of the jungle. It may be Jimmy Lai who is in the dock, but it is press freedom — protected under Hong Kong’s Basic Law — that is on trial,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “CPJ calls on the government to drop all charges against Lai, end his show trial, and release him at once.”

The hearing, before a three-judge panel, will begin at 10 a.m. local time on Monday, according to his international legal team and news reports citing court notice

Lai suffers from diabetes, as well as heart palpitations that require medication. More recently, his children have told CPJ that he is losing weight, his teeth are rotting, and his nails are falling off.

Lai’s trial was originally expected to last 30 days when it started in December 2023, but it has faced multiple delays. The publisher took the stand in December 2024, with the prosecution questioning Lai over Apple Daily’s editorial policy, particularly dozens of opinion columns he wrote.

CPJ joined 71 other press freedom and human rights organizations in an August 21 joint letter calling on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to secure Lai’s release on medical grounds.