Hong Kong’s policy bureaus have rallied behind the High Court’s verdict against Apple Daily tycoon Jimmy Lai under the city’s Beijing-imposed national security law.
The Central Government Offices in Admiralty, Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.In separate Facebook posts, 15 policy bureaus backed the Monday court judgment finding Lai guilty of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law, and a third count of sedition under colonial-era legislation.
Some were signed off by the ministers heading them.
Lai to face ‘endless imprisonment’The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau’s statement, signed by its secretary Erick Tsang, read: “This verdict also restores justice to the people of Hong Kong, to the nation, and to the countless individuals harmed by the black-clad violence.”
The statement referred to the attire of frontline protesters during the 2019 protests and unrest.
Lai, whose crimes were “laid bare” at trial, will be subject to “endless imprisonment,” Tsang said.
HKFP has contacted the judiciary for comment. A four-day mitigation hearing will be held on January 12 – Lai could be jailed for life.
People queue outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building to hear the verdict of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai on December 15, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Tsang added: “Driven by personal gain, he ignored the interests of the nation and his countrymen, turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people and the devastation of livelihoods, and deliberately stirred up conflict, plunging the public into chaos.”
Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho, on her own Facebook page, said that the court’s ruling sent a “clear message” that any acts that undermine national security will be dealt with in accordance with the law, and those who break the law will face consequences. Her bureau does not have a Facebook page.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau said: “Attempts to use external forces to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs will ultimately harm the general public. Without a stable society, economic prosperity and people’s livelihoods cannot be achieved.”
The Labour and Welfare Bureau, Environment and Ecology Bureau, Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Health Bureau, Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Development Bureau, and Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau all released similar statements hailing the ruling on Monday.
Ingrid Yeung, who heads the civil service, and Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law hailed the verdict on their personal pages, though their bureaus did not publish a comment.
The Fire Services Department emblem. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.Other government departments such as the Fire Services Department (FSD) also aired their support for the verdict. The FSD said that the public faced threats from “radical protesters” who set fires and threw petrol bombs in 2019: “Throughout this time, the Fire Services Department steadfastly upheld its duties, dedicating its full efforts to extinguishing fires and rescuing the injured,” the statement said, prompting a backlash in the comments section.
‘Stern warning’The statements were posted to Facebook, but were not released on the government’s official press release website.
Jimmy Lai being transferred to the Court of Final Appeal on February 9, 2021. File photo: Studio Incendo.Beijing’s liaison office in has Hong Kong described Lai’s guilty verdict as a “stern warning” to “anti-China” forces. Chief Executive John Lee and Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police’s National Security Department both said that Lai’s conviction was “justice served.”
Meanwhile, press freedom watchdogs Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists both criticised the court ruling, as have officials from the US and UK.
Lai’s guilty verdict came more than five years after he was first arrested.
In a judgment over 850 pages long, the judges said Lai’s intent was “to seek the downfall of [the Chinese Communist Party]” at the cost of the interests of people in Hong Kong and mainland China.
“This was the ultimate aim of the conspiracies and secessionist publications,” the judges wrote.
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