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Lai, 78, who has been jailed since December 2020, had pleaded not guilty. He faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing expected early next year.

The court found that Lai used the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper as part of efforts to lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.

Hong Kong leader John Lee welcomed the verdict, saying Lai’s actions “harmed the country’s interests and the well-being of Hong Kong people,” while human rights groups described it as “a cruel judicial farce.”

Judge Esther Toh said on Monday that there was no doubt Jimmy Lai harbored “hatred” toward the People’s Republic of China, citing “his repeated calls on the United States to overthrow the PRC government under the pretext of helping the people of Hong Kong.”