- Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, and eight others are facing mitigation hearings in Hong Kong after being convicted of national security charges.
- Prosecutors allege Lai used his newspaper to incite hatred and invite foreign sanctions against China and Hong Kong.
- Western countries are criticizing the trial as a suppression of free speech and are calling for the defendants' release.

A: Hey Hana! Did you hear anything about Jimmy Lai?

B: Jimmy Lai? No, what’s going on?

A: He’s in court in Hong Kong right now. Remember Apple Daily? It’s gone now, but he started it.

B: Oh yeah, I vaguely remember. What's he being charged with?

A: He and eight other people were found guilty of something about national security. They're having hearings now to decide on their sentences.

B: Wow, serious stuff! What did they do?

A: Apparently, the government says he used his newspaper to be, like, really critical of the Chinese government and tried to get other countries to punish China.

B: That sounds… intense. They shut down his newspaper, right?

A: Exactly! They froze all their money and closed it down in 2021.

B: And his family is worried about his health? I remember reading something about that.

A: Yeah, they say he's getting sick in prison. But the lawyers arguing against him are saying he’s fine.

B: That’s a tricky situation. What's going to happen now?

A: They expect the hearings to finish this week, and then they’ll decide on the sentences. It could be a really long prison sentence – up to life!

B: Crazy! Lots of countries are saying he should be released. They think it’s unfair.



A: Totally! They say it’s stopping people from being able to speak freely.