Briton Jimmy Lai found guilty of national security offences in Hong Kong
Pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of national security offences in Hong Kong.
The media tycoon and British citizen, 78, was arrested in August 2020 after China imposed a national security law following massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Sky News’ Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith, who is at West Kowloon Law Courts Building, said Lai looked “drawn and thin” as he listened to the verdict being delivered.
He had previously been sentenced for several lesser offences during his five years in prison.
Lai, who founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security, as well as one count of conspiracy to distribute seditious publications.
He has been found guilty of all three charges and could be sentenced later to life in prison.
Reading from an 855-page verdict, Judge Esther Toh said that the evidence showed Lai had extended “constant invitations” to the US to help bring down the Chinese government and had spent years considering what leverage the US could use.
“There is no doubt that the first defendant had harboured his resentment and hatred of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) for many of his adult years,” Judge Toh said.
She added that the court was satisfied that Lai was the “mastermind” of the conspiracies and that the only reasonable inference from the evidence was that Lai’s intent was to seek the downfall of the ruling Communist Party even at the sacrifice of the people of China and Hong Kong.
The chief executive of the Hong Kong government, John Lee, said Lai “has long been using his media outlet, Apple Daily, to wantonly create social conflicts, incite social antagonism, incite hatred, glorify violence and openly beg for foreign sanctions against China and the HKSAR, attracting external interference”.
He added: “He has harmed the fundamental interests of the country and the well-being of the people of Hong Kong; his actions are shameful and his intentions malicious.”
Sebastien Lai described his father’s declining health as ‘heartbreaking’ during a press conference later on Monday
Lai has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement. His family say his health has worsened as a result and that he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.
His son Sebastien Lai described his father’s “rapidly” declining health as “heartbreaking” during a press conference later on Monday.
Mr Lai said: “In the 800-page verdict that they have, there’s essentially nothing.
“There’s nothing that incriminates him. There’s nothing that even under their own legal system would make him guilty.”
Mr Lai added that it is a “perfect example” of how the law has been “moulded and weaponised against someone who essentially said stuff that they didn’t like”.
Mr Lai urged the UK government to “put action behind words”.
He said: “Make my father’s release a precondition to closer relationships with China.”
Downing Street condemned the verdict, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman saying: “We will continue to appeal to the Chinese government ahead of Jimmy Lai’s sentencing for his release and access to medical treatment.
“Jimmy Lai’s case has been a priority for this government and the prime minister, and as the foreign secretary has said, we condemn the politically motivated prosecution that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict.”
He added: “The UK has repeatedly called for Beijing’s national security law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, and we will continue to call for his immediate release.”
The UK “cannot shy away from engagement” with China, he insisted, when asked if Sir Keir still planned to travel to the country and meet its leaders next year.
The spokesman would not be drawn into saying whether the Labour government planned to summon the Chinese ambassador over Lai’s case.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she condemned the “politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict”.
She added: “Jimmy Lai has been targeted by the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.
“Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics. The UK has repeatedly called for the National Security Law to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.
“We continue to call for Mr Lai’s immediate release, for all necessary treatment and for full access to independent medical professionals.”
China’s ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, met with a senior official at the UK Foreign Office “to lodge solemn representations over the UK side’s statement that made irresponsible remarks on the Hong Kong High Court’s guilty verdict in the Jimmy Lai case”, China’s embassy said.
“He urged the UK to abandon its colonial mindset, immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong’s judicial affairs, stop making the case for anti-China rioters bent on destabilising Hong Kong, and stop meddling in China’s internal affairs.”
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel called Mr Lai’s conviction “an outrage to democracy, personal freedom and liberty”.
The Conservative called on the prime minister to directly raise the case with China’s President Xi Jinping, “and demand Jimmy’s immediate release from custody so his ordeal can end, he can be returned to Britain and be reunited with his family”.
She added: “The imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong is in violation of the freedoms that should have been guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the British Government has not done enough to oppose the suppression of freedom and human rights in Hong Kong.”
Jimmy Lai’s wife Teresa arriving at West Kowloon Law Courts Building. Pic: AP
Lai’s trial, heard by three judges approved by the Hong Kong authorities without a jury present, has been closely monitored by the UK, the US, the European Union and political observers as a barometer of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Responding to the verdict, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s UK and Europe director Mark Sabah said in a statement: “This verdict should surprise absolutely no one. The trial against Jimmy Lai has been a show trial masquerading as justice. But what’s actually been on display is the complete and total destruction of Hong Kong’s reputation as a global legal centre.
People wait to enter the building ahead of the verdict. Pic: AP
“Jimmy Lai is a British citizen. But instead of demanding the release of one of its own, the British government’s response has been years of timid action and kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). By abandoning one of its citizens, the British government has sent a clear and shameful message: trade access to the CCP matters more than the rule of law, press freedom, or the safety of British nationals abroad.”
He added: “We now wait for whatever sentence the Hong Kong authorities and the CCP conjure up to bring this five-year charade to an end. But make no mistake, the fight for freedom and justice will go on, not just for Jimmy Lai but for all political prisoners in Hong Kong.”
Lai arriving at court in 2020. Pic: AP
Three months after winning the 2024 UK general election, Sir Keir had said securing Lai’s release was a “priority” for his government and that it would “continue” to raise the case with China.
Most recently, during a January trip to China, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she raised the question over Lai’s imprisonment with every minister she met.
In August, Sebastien Lai told Sky News that unless the British government intervenes, his father “is most likely going to die in jail”.
He said his father’s death would not just be a personal tragedy, but a huge problem for both the Hong Kong authorities and Beijing’s government.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
“You can’t tell the world you have the rule of law, the free press and all these values that are instrumental to a financial centre and still have my father in jail,” he told Sky News.
“And if he dies, that’s it, that’s a comma on Hong Kong as a financial centre.”
A South African man, with eyes darkened by sleepless nights, tells us his older brother was lured into fighting for Russia on the frontline in Ukraine’s raging Donbas region.
“To them, it’s a suicide mission because they have never been trained for the military. They don’t have military training – they don’t have military experience,” says Bongani, whose name we have changed for his safety.
In the hidden back garden of a modest hotel in KwaZulu-Natal province, he continues: “They don’t have experience of any war. They are just bodyguards who want to get a job and provide for their families. That’s all.”
Bongani says his brother travelled to Russia on a flight via Dubai after being told he would be receiving bodyguard training along with at least 16 other South African men. After signing a contract in Russian, their fate was sealed.
Bongani, not his real name, tells Yousra his brother was on a ‘suicide mission’
“The problems started when they were moved from Russia to Ukraine, and they asked them: ‘Guys – where are we going now because we are here for training?’
“And then the Russians said: ‘Training for what? We don’t know anything about training – what we know is that you’ve signed the contract. You are under our command now – under the Russian army.'”
How is this happening?
Sky News has seen harrowing SOS video messages from South African men who describe entrapment and deployment to the frontline in Ukraine.
In one video, a man in military fatigues details the moment they signed their contracts. He claims Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, encouraged them to sign away their lives.
“We refused to sign the contract forms because it was written in Russia, which we didn’t understand. We asked them for a translator – someone who can translate the language. They said there was no network,” he says in fluent English.
“That is when Duduzile came with a guy by the name of Khosa. She said we must sign the contract because it is the same thing they did. Duduzile said she is doing the same course we are doing, the same training, and that unfortunately she won’t be with us because she is training somewhere else.”
“Yes, we agreed. We did sign the forms because we trust the lady, Duduzile.”
South African men claim they were trafficked by Duduzile Zuma, daughter of the country’s former president – allegations she denies
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is accused of trafficking South African men – including eight of her own relatives – for mercenary recruitment by her half-sister Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, who has filed police charges against her.
She denies the allegations and says she was a victim of deception, misrepresentation, and manipulation.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) say they are currently investigating the charges. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has resigned as a member of parliament and has not responded to our request for comment.
Former president Jacob Zuma with his daughter Duduzile Zuma, wearing “I Stand With Russia” T-Shirt in 2023. Pic: @DZumaSambudla/X
Five hours away in Johannesburg’s Gauteng province, we watched as another case of suspected mercenary recruitment played out in a South African magistrate’s court.
Five suspects were ushered out into a crowded courtroom in Kempton Park after being arrested on their way out of Johannesburg’s Oliver R Tambo airport following a tip-off to the police that they were allegedly travelling to Russia via the United Arab Emirates.
Five people suspected of attempting to join Russia’s war effort in Ukraine appear in a Johannesburg court
Among the five suspects is Patricia Mantuala, 39, suspected of recruiting the men
The line-up is sullen as the three young men on one end of the stand look down at their hands. The youngest is only 21 years old.
At the other end of the stand is a 39-year-old woman called Patricia Mantuala, who stands accused of recruiting them. The five suspects were eventually granted bail by the court after a postponed hearing.
Read more from Sky News:
G20 overshadowed by Ukraine
Alleged mercenary arrested in London
Is time running out for Ukraine?
Colonel Katlego Mogale, a spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the HAWKS, told Sky News and other journalists in a news conference that they are not ruling out the possibility that more suspects will be arrested.
South Africa’s specialised police unit is investigating a growing recruitment drive
Amid signs of a growing recruitment drive, the families of those who say they are trapped fighting for Russia in Ukraine are advocating for their loved ones to return home – against all odds.
“You are dealing with people who are well known in South Africa and in South Africa nobody’s safe and we may never know what’s going to happen next to us,” says Bongani.
“What’s going to happen to our family?”
World
Imran Khan’s sons ‘fear they may never see him again’ as former Pakistan PM ‘held in death cell’
The sons of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan have said they fear they might never see their father again as he is being “psychologically tortured” in a “death cell”.
Speaking to Sky News’ The World with Yalda Hakim, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan said they had not spoken to their father, who has been in prison since August 2023, for months.
Imran Khan’s sons being interviewed by Yalda Hakim
Kasim described the conditions the former Pakistani leader has been kept, saying: “He’s been in a solitary confinement cell for over two years where he’s had filthy water, he is around inmates who are dying of hepatitis, the conditions are disgusting and also he is completely isolated from any human contact.”
He continued: “It’s getting harder to see a route out at this point. We’re trying to have faith. But at the same time, right now, the conditions are getting worse.
“It’s very hard to see a way out… We’re now worried we might never see him again.”
Kasim said his father was being subjected to “psychological torture tactics” as even the prison guards weren’t allowed to communicate with the former Pakistani leader, who led the country between 2018 and 2022.
Imran Khan, pictured in March 2023 before his arrest on corruption charges. File pic: Reuters
Sulaiman said his father’s cell, where he allegedly spends 23 hours a day, has been described as a “death cell”.
He said an army spokesperson announced on Friday that Imran Khan, who has in the past been shot three times, was now officially in full isolation.
He added that Imran Khan was being kept in “completely substandard conditions that don’t meet international law for any sort of prisoner”.
The brothers’ words echo what one of Khan’s sisters reported after being allowed to meet the former cricketer in prison at the start of the month.
Uzma Khanum said at the time that Khan was facing isolation and psychological strain in prison following weeks in which his family said access had been blocked.
The former leader was jailed after being convicted in a string of cases that he says were politically driven following his ousting in a 2022 parliamentary vote.
Before launching his political career, Imran Khan was best known as a star of international cricket and for leading Pakistan to Cricket World Cup victory in 1992.
Kasim said his father would “never take a deal and leave all of his other party members in jail to die and fester in these jails…
“Instead he stays in those conditions, happy to rot and it means that he can move towards his goal of ridding Pakistan of corruption, a goal that he has stated to us a million times.”
Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani government spokesperson, will be speaking to Yalda Hakim tonight on Sky News from 9pm.
French football champions Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay former player Kylian Mbappe 60 million euros (£52.6m) by a Paris court.
A Paris labour court found on Tuesday that Mbappe was due three months in unpaid wages, as well as an ethics bonus and a signing bonus, under his employment contract with PSG.
It was noted that the sums were recognised by the French Professional Football League (LFP) in September and October 2024, and that there was no evidence of an agreement showing that Mbappe had waived his entitlement to them.
Judges thus rejected the club’s argument that the 26-year-old French forward should forfeit unpaid wages entirely, but did dismiss his additional claims of concealed work, moral harassment and breach of the employer’s duty of safety.
Kylian Mbappe was PSG’s record goal scorer and won six league titles with the club. File pic: AP
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Mbappe’s lawyer Frederique Cassereau said: “We are satisfied with the ruling. This is what you could expect when salaries went unpaid.”
In a statement, his legal team also said: “This judgment confirms that commitments entered into must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone.”
PSG ‘reserving right to appeal’
PSG said in a statement that it “takes note of the ruling handed down by the Paris labour court, which it will comply with, while reserving the right to appeal”.
The statement added: “Paris Saint-Germain has always acted in good faith and with integrity, and will continue to do so.
“The club is now looking to the future, built on unity and collective success, and wishes the player all the best for the remainder of his career.”
Now playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe had taken PSG to court over earnings he said were withheld for April, May and June 2024 – before he left the club for Spain on a free transfer.
File pic: Reuters
Lawyers for the striker argued he was owed more than 260m euros (£227m), and that his fixed-term contract should be reclassified as a permanent one.
Judges on Tuesday did not view Mbappe’s contract with PSG as a permanent one, which limited the scale of possible compensation.
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PSG argued that Mbappe had acted disloyally by concealing for nearly a year his intention not to renew his contract, and sought 440m euros (£385m) over damages and a “loss of opportunity” after he left on a free transfer.
In the last year of his contract, he was linked with a world record transfer to Saudi Arabian football club Al Hilal, which Sky Sports News reported at the time to be worth £259m.
PSG signed Mbappe on loan with a mandatory purchase option of 180m euros (£165.7m) from AS Monaco in 2017, making him the second-most expensive player and most expensive teenage footballer in history.
While playing for the Parisians, he won six league titles and scored 256 goals in all competitions, making him the club’s all-time top goal scorer.
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