The responsible judge found the 75-year-old guilty on Saturday of violating the lease for the offices of his newspaper “Apple Daily”, which has since been closed under massive pressure from the authorities. He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
Lai is one of the most prominent activists in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. However, this has now been brought to a de facto halt by the authorities under enormous pressure.
Lai had recently served a 20-month prison sentence for his role in protests against the Beijing-installed government in Hong Kong. In another trial, the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper “Apple Daily” faces life imprisonment for alleged national security violations.
(SDA)