Jimmy Lai remains beacon of Hong Kong press freedom, say ex-colleagues awaiting his sentencing
Several former colleagues of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai at the Apple Daily newspaper reacted with dismay at his national security conviction, fearing Lai and other former staffers may be given heavy sentences but saying he remains an inspiration.Lai’s guilty verdict for two conspiracies to collude with foreign forces to undermine China’s national security, and a sedition charge, comes over four years after police raided the Apple Daily newsroom, arresting Lai along with several senior editors and executives, leading to its eventual closure.“Although it’s an expected verdict, when the news came out the feeling of ‘finally it’s here’ hit us,” said Edward Li, Apple Daily’s former chief breaking-news editor. He left Hong Kong first for London and then Taiwan where he merged two media outlets — Taiwan-based Photon Media and U.K.-based The Chaser News — to establish Pulse HK, which focuses on Hong Kong news.
