Lai, 74, is the owner of the pro-democracy newspaper, which has since been shut down under pressure from the government. Apple Daily. He is considered one of the most prominent pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and was convicted along with former journalist Gwyneth Ho and human rights lawyer Zhao Hang Tong. The District Court found them guilty of incitement and participation in a prohibited meeting. Punishment will be decided next Monday.

In recent months, several activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to months in prison. They joined tens of thousands of people at a memorial service last year for the victims of the Tiananmen protest in Beijing.

Many Hong Kong residents usually remember the day the Chinese army brutally ended the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989, but no memorials were allowed last year due to the Corona pandemic. After the vigil, Hong Kong authorities indicted about 20 pro-democracy politicians and activists.

Last year, a controversial new national security law was passed in Hong Kong. The law is being used by the authorities, under the influence of the Chinese government, to suppress demonstrations by residents protesting the restriction of freedoms in Hong Kong. This also includes freedom of the press, as journalists find this increasingly difficult. This is how you move The New York Times Asia editorial staff to South Korea and became a reporter visa from The Economist Not recently renewed. According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association, press freedom in Hong Kong is “shattered”.