Hong Kong, August 15, 2025 — Hong Kong Media Overseas (HKMO) calls on the international community to closely monitor the trial of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and his colleagues, and to demand that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government immediately end its political prosecution of journalists.
The final stages of a grueling trial lasting over 140 days have now been reached. Accused of trumped charges of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” are:
- Next Digital founder and Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai,
- Former Next Digital CEO Cheung Kim-hung,
- Former Apple Daily Associate Publisher Chan Pui-man,
- Former Editor-in-Chief Law Wai-kwong,
- Former Executive Editor-in-Chief Lam Man-chung,
- Former Apple Daily English edition Executive Editor Fung Wai-kong, and
- Former Apple Daily opinion page chief editor Yeung Ching-kee.
77 year-old Jimmy Lai has been held in solitary confinement for 1,700 days. His son, Sebastien Lai, has stated that his father’s health is deteriorating, and that the risk of him dying in prison is increasing daily. Lai faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
This political prosecution clearly demonstrates the SAR government’s abuse of judicial procedures, criminalizing legitimate news reporting and free expression.
Background
Four years ago, Apple Daily was forced to shut down, marking a fatal blow to press freedom in Hong Kong. The “Apple Daily case” is the first under the 2020 National Security Law to involve charges of “colluding with foreign forces.” It must be stressed that these prosecutions are creating a chilling effect across Hong Kong’s press community. The ongoing and pending trials—heard by designated National Security Law judges—are likely to confirm our worst fears: that Hong Kong’s press freedom is being dismantled in a systematic manner.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted that since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, dozens of media outlets have shut down under political pressure, and hundreds of journalists have gone into exile. The Chinese government has prosecuted at least 28 journalists under national security legislation, with 10 still in detention. The few courageous journalists who remain in Hong Kong face harassment and financial instability.
In less than 20 years, Hong Kong has plummeted from 18th place to 140th in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index. China ranks 178th out of the 180 countries and territories assessed.
About Hong Kong Media Overseas (HKMO)
Hong Kong Media Overseas is a non-profit organization formed by diaspora Hong Kong journalists. It is dedicated to monitoring, documenting, and defending press freedom and journalist safety in Hong Kong, as well as advocating internationally and providing support for media workers facing political persecution.
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