Jimmy Lai, 78, was convicted in Hong Kong in a national security trial after a three-judge panel found prosecutors had proven he conspired to collude with foreign forces and published seditious materials, a verdict that carries a potential sentence of up to life imprisonment.Judges Alex Lee, Esther Toh and Susana D'Almada Remedios issued an 855-page written judgment citing 161 publications, meetings with United States officials including Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo, and noted that Lai testified for 52 days in a trial held without a jury that ran 156 days.International reaction included condemnation from Canada’s Anita Anand and a pledge from the United Kingdom to prioritise securing Lai’s release, while rights groups Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and CPJ warned the verdict undermines press freedom and judicial independence.